Take My Hand ft Jack Barakat of All Time Low
by TheBeehive
Summary: ATL FANFIC :
1. Chapter 1

Routine. That's what my whole life felt like. It all felt like a simple routine. A cycle that had no end in sight. I needed to break that cycle.

It was summer and I was free from school and all the drama instilled in it. I was also free from having to work hard and study for stupid tests and exams that people older than I am give me. I was so done with all that crap. It was time to have some fun.

My long, wavy, brown hair flew with the breeze as I opened the front door. The sun was out and I was just about ready to ride my bike and look for some things to take pictures of but placed it back inside when I saw a cargo truck right next door.

A young guy, most probably my age with styled, dark brown hair was carrying boxes inside the house. From the looks of it, he had a lot of things still in there so instead of just watching him, I walked back out of the house and across the lawn and looked inside the cargo truck. I wasn't really known for being helpful, but it seemed like he needed it.

"Can I help you?" the guy asked startling me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,"

With a smile, I said, "I was actually going to ask you that,"

"Oh, umm, I don't know. These boxes are pretty heavy," he said and I squinted at him.

"Are you saying I'm weak?" I asked him crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows. With the way I was talking, it'd seem like we weren't total strangers.

"Oh, no I didn't mean that," he said sarcastically and laughed.

"Ha-ha," I mocked him. "Well then fine, don't ask for my help." I said turning around to walk away.

"Wait, wait!" he said grabbing my arm. "I was just kidding. Don't go," he said and I turned to look back at him.

There was this somewhat sweet look in his eyes when I turned back to look at him. It seemed like he wanted me to stay. But well wasn't that what I really wanted? He is kinda cute after all.

"Okay then," I said walking towards the back of the truck to get two boxes.

I dragged them closer to me and stacked them up. But before I could really stack them up, I realized something… they were heavy. I carried it up and almost lost my balance due to the really heavy weight. I was half expecting him to help me out but when I turned towards him, he was just standing there with his arms crossed. He had a smirk plastered over his face that had a 'let's see what happens here' look all over it.

I wanted to show him that I could do it so I rolled my eyes at him and started walking towards the house. But when I took two steps forward, I tripped on the sidewalk curb and the boxes flew across the yard. Shit.

"Whoa, you okay?" he said trying really hard to hold back the laughter that wanted to come out. He reached down to help me out and for a lanky guy, he seemed quite strong.

I thanked him for helping me up and then walked across the yard to reclaim what I threw in it. "Sorry 'bout that," I said and he smirked.

"Don't worry about it," he said walking towards me and picking up some things from one of the boxes.

Once I got everything inside, I took just one box into the house watching the ground below more carefully so I wouldn't look like someone who was prone to accidents.

I set the box down in the living room which was now cluttered with boxes similar to the one I just set down. I observed the room more keenly and noticed a guitar case on top of two boxes. I was just about to go back outside when I bumped into the guy I was helping. He fell to the ground and the box loaded with his stuff landed on his stomach.

"I'm so sorry," I said anxiously as I got the box off of him.

"We should really be more careful next time," he said in pain as he tried to get up.

I smiled guiltily as I went out to get more boxes. Luckily the rest of the boxes he had in the cargo truck weren't as heavy as the ones I tried to carry. Man, I should've gotten these boxes first. That way I wouldn't embarrass myself in front of him. But luckily, he didn't tease me harshly. Well maybe he showed off this goofy grin every now and then but other than that, nothing. He was actually a nice and decent guy.

After we unloaded all of the boxes, the guy went over to where the driver was and told him that he could go. It was unusual that there was only one guy driving this really big cargo truck and that he didn't help unload the boxes. What a lazy asshole.

The truck left and he went back up to the house. I was just there in the front porch, leaning on the ledge, wondering what the driver was doing and why he didn't try and help when I realized that this wasn't my house and that I didn't even know whose house this was.

I looked for the guy and saw him when I spun around. He was just there sitting on the swing on his porch looking tired.

"Umm, I'm Brittany by the way," I said awkwardly. I was never really good with introductions.

"Hey, Brittany," he said with his eyes closed. He laid his on the top portion of the swing so he was looking up at the roof.

"And you are…?" I trailed off eager to know who this guy really was.

"Oh, I'm Jack," he said regaining composure before sighing to himself.

"So… I'll be right across the lawn if you need anything, okay Jack?" I said backing away slowly from the porch.

"Sure, thanks for helping me out and it was nice meeting you," he said getting up and getting into his house quickly without waiting for me to say anything else.

I was sorta disappointed as I walked down from his porch and back into my house to retrieve my camera. Maybe I expected too much or maybe he was just tired and he couldn't think about what he was supposed to do after someone helped him out with his stuff. I don't know but I think that maybe this small crush is turning into something more than what it is. But either way, I don't think I'd get have a chance. These blue eyes, brown hair and slim figure can only get me so far and he's nowhere near where the end point.

I got on my bike as I rode to the park but I didn't really do much except think about the guy who just moved in next door. His name was Jack and for now, that's all I know but hopefully, I'll get to know him more and maybe, just maybe, I'd be great friends with the friendly guy next door.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was slowly setting as I started pedalling back to my house. I did nothing productive in the park which was a really big downer. I really wanted to start shooting at several things but I just couldn't bring myself up on my feet to aim and capture what I wanted to take a photo of. I guess there was no inspiration there.

"Brittany, where have you been?" my mother asked as soon as I parked my bike and got inside.

"I was just out at the park taking some pictures," I said pointing at the camera for emphasis.

"Hmmm, well, anyway, Jack, the new guy next door was looking for you like an hour ago," my mother said walking into the kitchen to finish what I think was dinner.

"Wait, w-what?" I stammered. He was looking for me? Why?

"He said that you should call him some time but I don't know mayb-"

"Mom, please do not bring that up." I said cutting her off.

I really didn't want her bringing up my past when I was on the verge of moving on from that very harsh break up. I didn't even know why it ended, I mean it all seemed so perfect but then, one day, he had a change of heart and told me that I was a mere distraction to him. Sure, he had tons of problems but did he have to leave it like that and move away to some place where he could get away from all of it? I thought I was actually helping him cope with them but I guess I was wrong.

"Okay, fine," my mother said contently as she took a Tupperware filled with food out of the microwave. Great, we were having the same thing we had last night.

When my mother set the food on the table and placed some spaghetti from last night on my plate, I started playing with my food and making it swirl around the plate. My mother didn't seem to notice so I just kept toying with it.

After a few minutes, my older brother, Stephen, came down the stairs and into the kitchen to eat his dinner.

"Where've you been, lil' sis?" he asked as he sat right next to me on the table.

"Out," I said vaguely. I didn't really like conversations with the family. I wasn't even close to my brother who was only like 18 – a year older than me.

"Are you going to eat that?" he said looking at my plate that was filled with pasta.

"No, I'm not hungry," I said getting up and heading upstairs to place my camera bag in my room.

I felt my mother's eyes behind my back when I went up the stairs. I didn't think that skipping dinner would be such a big deal.

When I got to my room, I looked out my window and realized that it was directly in line with his window – Jack's window. I put up the blinds and opened the window and let the soft breeze touch my skin. The lights in his room were on but I didn't see him inside. It amazed me how he set his room up that quickly. Did someone else go over there and help him out?

I didn't want to think about him having a girlfriend so I set my mind to thinking that maybe one of his friends came over and helped him out. But I just couldn't take my mind off the thought so I decided to go over to his house. He was looking for me, wasn't he?

I didn't bother to tell my mother where I was going as I walked down the stairs, past the kitchen and the living room and out the front door.

I walked across the lawn and up his front porch and knocked on the wooden door to his new home. I trembled as I waited for him to answer. I was getting pretty nervous and I was starting to regret this visit. I waited a few seconds more and finally, relief washed over me as Jack opened the door. He smiled his goofy grin and let me in without another word.

When I got inside the house, I half expected it to be scattered with things and boxes but to my surprise, everything was in the right place and his house was clean and in order.

"Did you do all of this?" I asked turning back to look at him with deep curiosity. I never expected him to be the kind of guy who was prim and proper like this.

"No," he laughed as he walked past me and sat on the couch in the living room in front of me. Apparently, he was watching cartoons before I knocked on the door.

I walked over to where he was sitting beside him but keeping just enough space for comfort. He was watching Chowder and laughing as Chowder made something blow up in Mung's kitchen.

It was rather odd how he just let me in and then went back to what he was doing before I walked into the house. It was as if nothing happened. He acted so comfortable in the couch that I didn't think he knew that I was actually right beside him.

I kept my eyes glued to the television, afraid that if I look at him, I might start blushing and embarrassing myself. Even with the space between us, I was feeling quite uneasy about the whole situation.

"You know, you should really loosen up," he said all of a sudden. "I'm not gonna bite if that's what you're so worried about," he said. He seemed a little offended which made me wonder… did I really give off that kind of impression.

"Oh, sorry," I said trying to relax on the couch.

"You want anything to eat?" he asked and I really wanted to say yes since I was really hungry but…

"No, I'm good," I said and he shrugged.

He went into the kitchen fixed himself something to eat while I just sat on the couch and watched TV. It took quite a while before he came back bringing two plates. He handed one to me and I just looked up at him like he did something wrong. It surprised me how rude I was being. I wasn't normally like this. It's just that there was no way I could be myself around him.

"You looked like you needed it," he said and I just couldn't believe how he read me so well. It was like words were written all over my face saying 'I'm hungry'.

"Thanks," I said taking it from him instead of handing in back to him.

He made me a peanut better and jelly sandwich and that just so happens to be my favourite kind of snack. Was this just a mere coincidence or was I just a really predictable person?

I took a bite and chewed the bread which was filled with a really thick layer of peanut butter and less of the jelly. It was creamy and I liked it. I smiled his way after swallowing as a sign of my gratitude.

"So, you don't really talk much do you?" I asked breaking the silence. It was about time we started talking.

"Hmmm, actually I'm the kinda guy who could talk for days," he said, "but if I did go on and on, I think you'd somewhat get creeped out and I didn't want that to happen,"

I laughed at his statement thinking that it was weird of him to think that talking could creep me out. "Jack, you hardly know me," I said as I took another bite of the scrumptious sandwich.

"I know and I want to get to know you, it's just that I don't know where to start," he said and I swear he seemed just like a lost little kid who was trying to find his way home.

"Well then since you don't know where to start, why don't we start with you? Describe yourself." I said and shifted in my seat so that I was facing him fully.

"Okay then," he started, "Let me just start by saying that I'm in a band and I love music. I love cartoons and peanut butter and that I am not a neat person. And since you asked a while back, I had some friends over who help me set things up before we had band practice in the basement downstairs."

He was in a band? That's interesting.

"I hail from the Baltimore, Maryland but decided to get my own place somewhere far from my hometown because people knew where I lived and it was starting to creep me out. I don't like stalkers. I used to have a blonde streak in my hair but then decided to take it out because I got tired of it." He babbled but stopped for a bit to finish the remains of his bread. "I really don't know what else to say," he said with his mouth full and I guess that was my cue.

"Wow, stalkers, huh?" I said giggling about what kind of stalkers he might mean.

"Hey, don't laugh! It happened once but I'll save that for some other time. It's your turn now," he said.

"Well, I've lived here practically my whole life and right now, I'm on a summer vacation. When school starts again, I'm going to be a senior and then well, I don't know what happens after that. I have one brother and he's a year older than me and I live with him and my mom. My dad is currently on a business trip and will not be returning until the end of June. I like photography and music but no, I'm not in a band. I like baking cookies too," Now the last one was pretty random but it just had to be said.

"Well, now that we know each other a little bit more, how would you like to stay the night?" he asked and I raised an eyebrow.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked him as I set the plate down on the table that was right in front of me.

"I'm not asking you to sleep with me or anything like that although that would be nice," he smirked as he gave me a head to toe look, "but I just wanted you to watch movies with me. I get really lonely sometimes and besides it is getting kinda late," he said.

I blushed as I was mistaken for like the thousandth time tonight. I can't believe I actually thought of something else. Well this is embarrassing.

"Oh, umm, sure, why not?" I said sheepishly. I really didn't want to decline his offer since I thought it was a great idea.

It was sad how he got lonely. I actually felt quite sorry for him. I'm sure Mom won't mind me staying here for the night. Besides, his house is just next door to mine.

We started picking movies to watch and somehow, all that awkwardness I felt when I set foot in this house went away. Maybe it was because of the time we took to describe ourselves. Maybe that was what made me more comfortable. I had no bad feelings about the decision I made and I just hope nothing goes wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

The last thing I remembered doing before drifting off to sleep was watching Toy Story and Toy Story 2 with Jack. After the second movie, he got up to change it to another film. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed watching Disney movies with him. Toy Story is like my all time favourite movie and it has been such a long time since I've seen that film. If you're asking why I haven't watched it since I don't know when, it's because my copy of it was like one of those really big Laser Discs and our player got destroyed so as the years went by, I just forgot about it.

Lion King was about to start when I felt my eyes get heavy. I didn't want to end up sleeping here so I tried to fight sleep but I couldn't and it won over me so my eyes closed up and I fell into a deep slumber.

I didn't really have dreams – or at least I don't remember them – as I slept. I didn't even feel like I slept at all but once I opened my eyes, the sun was back out and its rays were seeping from the window sill.

_I don't remember going back home last nigh_t, I thought to myself as I realized that I was lying on a bed. The sheets smelled differently thought. It smelled like a guy perfume. Shit. I was in Jack's bedroom.

I got up from the bed in so much panic. My pulse was going crazy and for a second, I felt numb. It was like my feet were glued to the wooden floor. I stared at the light blue-grey bedroom walls that surrounded me. His room was pretty neat, if you asked me.

"Good morning," Jack startled me coming into his room dressed in only a towel, with a toothbrush in his mouth. To be completely honest, he did look sorta hot shirtless and his legs were just so…

I instantly looked out the window as my cheeks started burning up. "Uh, g-good morning to you, too," I stammered and he laughed.

I heard footsteps from behind me and listened as they faintly went away. I slowly turned around relieved to find that Jack went back into his bedroom. I ran for the door and went down the stairs and into the very familiar living room. I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to stay or head straight out but maybe if I left without saying anything, I'd hurt his feelings again and I can't just do that, I mean he's done so much for me.

"Brittany, where are you going?" Jack called from the second story of the house. He came down running – fully dressed – and almost tripped over the last step but luckily I was there to break the fall.

"Umm, I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to just head out I mean, I owe you – big time." I said.

"Well, do you have to go anywhere?" he asked me still holding both my hands from when I tried to break his fall. He squeezed them tightly as he waited for my answer.

"Well, I have to go home, that's for sure," I said. "But I don't think I can come back here later today," I said thinking about the consequences that my mother must be thinking about right now.

"Aww, why?" he asked sticking his bottom lip out as he pouted.

I smiled at him as I looked at the clock that was in his kitchen. It was eight in the morning meaning my Mom's not out for work yet.

"It's just my Mom's really uptight and all," I told him and he let my hands slip from his.

"Fine, at least give me your number so I can call you and-"

"Jack, don't worry about it. Besides, I live right next door," I said playfully stroking his cheek.

"Just hand it over," he demanded grabbing his phone from his front pocket and handing it to me.

"Fine," I got the phone from him and typed in the digits for my phone. "Here," I said handing it back to him.

"Thanks for keeping me company, by the way," Jack said as I walked to the door.

"Anytime," I said before opening it up and getting out of the house.

I shut the door behind me and walked down the front porch. To tell you the truth, I was afraid of what was ahead of me once I got home. I walked slowly back to my house and walked in unhurriedly. My hands were trembling badly and my knees were shaking. This is what happens when I know I'm big trouble. It gets this scary.

"Brittany Taylor! Where the hell have you been al night?!" My Mom greeted me as I was trying to go up the stairs unnoticed.

"Um, I was just at Jack's," I said coolly. I needed to sound convincing and plus, I wasn't even lying so what was there to hide, right? "He asked me to stay last night since he was getting pretty lonely,"

"And you think that I'm going to just buy that and let this all slip by me?" You see, I wasn't really kidding about having an uptight mother.

"Well, that's what really happened," I said saying nothing but the truth.

"Well how would I know if you lost your virginity last night? I'm not old enough to be a grandmother and I'm sure as hell that you won't be a great mother with your kind of attitude!" God, did she wake up on the wrong side of bed today? She was really getting on my nerves. Luckily, through all these years, I've learned to stretch my patience with her.

"Mom, we didn't even sleep in the same room last night," I said but I wasn't really certain about that though.

"I don't care if you slept in the same room or not! You just met the guy for Christ's sake-"

"Mom, we're just friends and we didn't do anything stupid or foolish," I said as my eyebrows began to meet. "You raised me up to be a smart girl and I don't think people with intelligence make the wrong decisions," I said taking deep breaths as I tried to keep my tears from falling. I never talked back to her and I never dared to but I think this time, she needs the lecture, not me.

My mother stayed silent and her face showed every bit of impatience. I had a feeling that with the tension in the air, she might end up slapping me across the face but as the seconds ticked away, the apprehension started to lessen. She walked away without another word.

I climbed up the stairs and walked into my room. I needed a shower, badly.

I took a quick shower and then changed into a black tank top and some white shorts. It was getting kinda warm so I decided to show a little skin.

After I dried my hair and brushed it, I checked my phone that lay silently on the dresser. I received message from an unknown number. It said: _Hey, you up for a party tonight? I really want to introduce you to some of my friends and see you again. I hope everything goes well with your mom ;)_

I'm guessing this was Jack but there was only one way to know. I called him.

"Hello?" Jack's voice chimed in from the other line.

"Hey Jack," I said as I sat on my bed.

"Hey, Brit, are you down with tonight?" he asked casually.

"Yeah, I'm down with it but I have teeny-tiny problem," I told him. "What should I wear?"

"Well, duh, something sexy, of course." He said as a matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes at what he said.

"Where are we going exactly?" I asked him changing the subject.

"To a friend's house," he said ambiguously.

"Right," I said nodding my head. "Fine, I'll look for something to wear," I said before hanging up.

"Make sure you dress up sexy!" Jack called from the window in his house that was right across mine. I didn't know that our windows were right across each other…

"Dream on, Jack!" I called back from my window.

He smiled goofily before shutting his window and getting out of his room.

I sighed to myself as I thought about what to wear. But while I was thinking, I realized that my mother was still 'mad' at me. Honestly, I thought that her anger towards me was sort of unreasonable. I mean I did come back home, right? I guess she just has issues with being overprotective.

I didn't know how to ask her if I could go to the party tonight. Maybe if I let her cool down for a while, she'll be all cheerful again but knowing how she is, she holds grudges 'til the next day or at least for a long period of time. So if I wanted to ask her, I might as well just go ahead and do it now.

I walked down the stairs with not only a question to ask my mother but also a stomach to fill. All this thinking was making me hungry and my stomach's been grumbling a whole lot.

I walked in the kitchen with heavy thoughts. Stephen was the first one to notice my presence. He didn't seem happy to see me. Maybe he heard Mom's argument with me and is taking her side. He's always taken her side because he always thinks that I'm stupid and Mom isn't. I just hate it when he does that.

"Brittany?" a more calm and collected Mom called to me as she walked in the kitchen.

"Mom, I'm sorry I snapped at you," I said feeling the guilt that my brother clearly wanted me to feel.

"It's okay, dear," Mom said taking a seat beside my brother who was eating a bowl of cereal on the island. "It's just that I'm going to Arizona today to visit your grandmother. She needs some help over there and all of your aunts are busy." She told me.

"Why does she need help?" I asked concerned.

"She's running low on money," she stated and I swear I really wanted to just roll my eyes. She was a big money spender. She buys so many unnecessary things and then throws them in the garbage after a while. "But I was just wondering if you would like to come and help me out,"

"No!" I said with so much emotion but I really didn't mean for it to sound like that. It's just that I really didn't like Grandma and she didn't like me either so the feeling's mutual.

Stephen looked at me like I just told Mom that she was stupid or something. It annoyed me that he thought so lowly of me. I hated him for that.

"I thought so," she said getting off of the chair. "I have to get going. Come on, Stephen." She said walking past me.

Stephen sighed and grabbed the car keys that were right on the counter. I swear I heard him mumble 'bitch' before getting up and following Mom out the door.

I waited until the car left the driveway before I let the tears fall from my eyes. I didn't get why they did this to me. It's not like I stepped on their heads or anything like that.

I took my phone out of my pocket and called Jack again.

"Hey, you found anything to wear yet?" he said as he picked up.

"Jack, c-can I go over t-to your house for a while?" I sobbed crying my eyes out. I just felt so bad.

"Hey, say no more," he said comfortingly.

I hung up and ran over to his house with nothing else but my phone and a heavy heart. Jack was waiting with the door wide open so when I climbed up the steps of his front porch, I crashed into him and hugged him tightly as I let the tears flow endlessly.

He brought me inside the house and we snuggled on the couch for a while. He asked me several times if I needed anything but I just kept shaking my head.

After about an hour of him trying to cheer up but ended up just holding me in his lanky arms, he came up with a solution. "Hey, what would you say to a trip to the mall?"

"What are we gonna do there?" I asked with my voice hoarse.

Jack got up and went to the kitchen. I followed closely behind him. He handed me a bottle of water and got one for himself.

"Well we're going to get you something to wear for tonight," he winked at me before twisting the cap and drinking his bottle of water.

I smiled at him. I was glad I had a friend like him. He was all I needed right now and maybe he'll be all I'll ever need.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack and I spent the whole afternoon in the mall. To tell you the truth, I almost forgot about what happened with my mom and about what Stephen said. We tried out different boutiques as we looked for 'the perfect dress' – as Jack mentioned.

"Jack, I can just wear a simple dress and it really wouldn't make a difference," I complained looking through probably the ten thousandth rack today.

"C'mon Brit," he said cutting my name short. A lot of people called me that but there was a certain edge to it when he said it. "I want you to be the finest looking girl in the party," he said checking out the dresses on the opposite rack.

"I bet we'll get stuck here the whole day trying to look for 'the perfect dress'," I said using air quotes and he rolled his eyes at me as he tried desperately to find the dress that would shut me up.

"Okay, you have to buy me a Chocolate Caramel Frappucino if I win," he said with his game face on.

"Oh you are so on," I said doubting that he'll win. "But if I win and we get out of here empty handed, you have to get me a Blueberry Cheesecake." I said getting even hungrier as I thought about that cheesecake. I didn't get to eat breakfast and it was almost time for lunch and my stomach was growling like crazy.

I couldn't help but smile but I also wondered why he wanted me to look hot for the party so I asked him. He thought hard about it but when he couldn't think of a clever answer, he pushed the question aside.

"Just because, okay?" he answered vaguely.

I went over to the rack he was looking at and started searching for the one dress that we'd both agreed on. I've tried on several things but we never agreed on anything. It was always too revealing for me or too plain for him. I didn't even know if we were ever going to agree on anything but it was worth a try. Besides, being with him made me feel happier than I've ever been in a while.

"What about this one?" he pulled out a magenta tube dress that I guess revealed just enough skin I was comfortable with. He gave out a cocky grin.

I sighed in defeat as I grabbed the dress from him. In all honesty, it did look like a nice dress. I took it with me and looked for the nearest dressing room. He sat on the sofa that was placed right in front of the cubicles that was meant for people to wait.

I changed quickly into it since I was so curious about what I looked like in the dress Jack picked. Once I zipped up the zipper, I looked at myself in the full length mirror that was right in front of me. I tilted my head to the side and smiled. This was the first time I was ever happy with the way I looked and it creeped the hell out of me.

I changed back into my clothes and then went out of the dressing room to find Jack really excited but his excitement went away once he saw the dress on my arm and me in the clothes I wore coming to the mall.

"Fine, I'll admit. The dress is pretty nice," I said and he smirked. "But the price is really, really nice too," I said looking down at the price tag.

"That's fine, really. Let me pay for it," he said winking at me taking the dress from my hand. He was about to walk to the cashier when I grabbed the back of his shirt urging him to wait.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said taking the dress from him. "If there's any paying going on here, it's gonna be on me,"

"Brit, you're going to be buying me a Frappucino so I might as well just pay for the dress," he said about to take the dress from me but I moved it away from his hand.

"You do know that your rationalizing skills aren't good, right?" I asked in a reassuring tone.

"Just hand me the dress, will you?" he said putting his hand out for the dress.

I really didn't want to hand it over but as soon as he saw me not moving, he took the dress from me and ran to the cashier before I could say anything else.

As soon as he paid for the dress with the cash he had in his very wallet, we started to walk around the mall to look for the nearest Starbucks outlet so that I could honour my word and buy him his Frappucino. Once I ordered what he wanted, I told the barista to add in a Ham and Swiss Sandwich which I made them split into two. They called my name as soon as I was through paying. I grabbed the tray with everything I asked for and went over to the table where Jack was seated. The bag with the dress was right beside him and he kept the receipt so that I wouldn't return it when he was in the comfort room or something like that. That boy has the weirdest imagination ever.

I was going to pay him back someday but right now, I guess all I can do is thank him for everything he's done for me.

We were just chatting as we ate our sandwiches when suddenly he started talking about his band.

"So you're saying that you guys are going on tour a week from now and you guys won't be coming back for another two months or so?" I asked him after almost choking on the last bite I had of my sandwich.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm saying," he said sipping his Frappe while looking outside the window.

"What do you expect to do while you're gone?" I asked in so much exasperation.

I know we just met and all but he can't just drop a big bomb like that on me. I watched as his eyes turned to me with some kind of sadness.

"Well, I guess…" he tried thinking of the right words to say but nothing came out so he just looked down at the bread crumbs he had on his plate.

"Jack, I'm going to miss you so much," I said slumping in my seat. I had this feeling that I've sorta known him forever but it wasn't humanly possible since I've never really seen his face before.

"I have an idea!" he exclaimed catching the attention of the couple who just walked in through the doors right beside our table.

"Okay, what is it?" I asked hoping it was something practical or at least something that we could do without much of a problem.

"You could come along with us!" he proclaimed.

"What?" I asked surprised. Well I guess it was doable but was it possible for to survive?

"It's a great idea, trust me," he said with a wink.

"Jack, what will I be doing while you're on tour, huh?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest as he thought of an answer.

"Didn't you say you like photography?" he asked and I smiled as I realized that he remembered that part of the description I gave to him about me.

"Yeah, what's your point?" I asked not really knowing where he was going with all of this.

"Well, maybe this summer, you could practice on live subjects, otherwise known as my band on stage," he said with a big grin on his face.

He was a smart one, I'll tell you that.

I didn't really have a sure course for college yet but I've been deciding to take up photography. I could actually see myself as a photographer all grown-up and having fun with my job. I might not have the biggest salary but I could make sure that I'd get by just fine.

"Well, I guess that's a good idea," I said considering it for a while. "But how am I supposed to explain all of this to my mother and Stephen?" I thought that I was actually free from the people that hurt me today but I guess they had to pop right back up sometime. I mean they're family.

"You could leave them a note," he said hesitantly.

He looked me straight in the eyes to see as I thought of a way to let them know what I was planning. I did like the fact that I was going to be on tour with a lot of people and that I'd have tons of subjects for my photography but leaving on a bad note didn't really seem like a good idea.

What am I saying? Did I actually care about them when they hardly gave a damn about me? They're the ones holding me back. They've always held me back from the things I've wanted to do so why was I thinking of them?

"Okay, I think I can work things out with them," I lied.

"Great!" he said happily as he stood up.

I stood up as a pang of guilt rushed around my body. I smiled at him synthetically and he bought it just like that. He had the bag that held my dress in his hand as he placed his free arm around my shoulder. _What a move_, I thought silently to myself.

"If you don't mind me asking, can you tell me what happened before you came back over to my place?" he asked hesitantly looking down at me hoping he didn't hurt me in any way.

"Well, when I went home, my mother scolded me for not thinking about the possibilities of what might've happened if you were some creepy, perverted guy who wanted to lock me up in your house and rape me," I said as we were walking and I looked at him with a smile tugging at my lips.

"That's seriously what she thought about me?" he placed the hand that was holding the paper bag over his heart giving off a hurt gesture.

I laughed at him as he pouted for more dramatic effect. "Well that's not exactly what she said. I was paraphrasing," I said and he smiled.

"You didn't seem this happy when you called me right after," he said with worry wrapped around the tone of his voice.

"Well that was because the words my mother used were harsher," I said looking down at the tiles on the floor we were walking on.

I told him about how my mother really reacted and all the harsh things she said. I told him about her thinking I was stupid for not reflecting on my actions well enough. I told him about what happened when I came back downstairs to eat some breakfast but ended up just standing in the kitchen watching my mother leave and how my brother reacted to the answer I gave my mother after she asked me if I wanted to go with her and visit Grandma.

"You're brother had no right to say that to you," by now we were already in the parking lot heading back to the space where Jack parked his car.

"Jack, it doesn't matter, just let it go," I said feeling sorta gloomy again but relieved as well after sharing what happened to me this morning. It was good to vent out with an awesome friend by your side.

"It does matter, Brit," he said opening the door for me after unlocking the car. I slid in and shut the door and watched him walk around the car and into the driver's seat. "He's supposed to be your brother. He's not supposed to call you that," he said protectively.

I watched him anxiously as he placed the paper bag at the back and started the ignition so that he could back away from the parking space.

Once he hit the pavement, he sighed with deep and heavy thoughts.

"Jack, I know what you mean but there's nothing you and I can do about it," I said looking out the window, afraid of what might happen if I looked right into his dark brown eyes.

"But if you could just-"

"Jack, trust me, no matter what I say to him, he'll never listen," I said hoping that he'd change the subject.

"Then maybe I need to teach him a lesson," he said and I turned my head to look at him with shock in my eyes.

He was gripping the steering wheel tightly. I bit my bottom lip as the tension he was feeling surrounded us. "No, there will be not lesson teaching here," I said and he huffed a sigh.

"Then what can I do about this then?" he asked loosening his grip on the steering wheel.

"Just be there for me when I need you," I said looking at him. He looked at me and then back at the road not wanting to meet an accident.

He let the silence surround us as we went back to his place. I didn't know what else I wanted him to do for me. He's done so much and I can't even begin to think of a way to repay him but maybe someday, I will. I know I will.


	5. Chapter 5

Once we got to Jack's place, we both got out of the car and into the house. Stephen wasn't back yet so I guess there was no need to check on my house.

We just talked for hours about different things and made hours pass by in a blur. But while we were talking, we kept munching on junk food and PB&J sandwiches. They were my all time favorite from Jack's Kitchen.

After a while, I got sorta tired and my stomach was making me sleepy from its fullness so I lay down on the couch while Jack stayed in the kitchen to continue eating. That boy had a stomach that was really hard to fill. I didn't get how he was so thin with how much he ate but then again, maybe he has a really fast metabolism.

I was just staring at the ceiling thinking about the way he reacted when I told him what happened. I didn't understand why he dwelled more on the fact that my brother called me a bitch and less about my mother. I mean my brother and I get into fights all the time and we call each other stuff a lot so it's not really a big surprise that he'd let such a vile word slip out of his mouth.

Just then, my phone started buzzing in my pocket. I took it out quickly and saw Stephen's name flashing on the screen. No matter how much I didn't want to, I had to pick it up.

"What?" I asked as soon as I picked up.

"Listen, Mom and I will be at Grandma's for the rest of the summer. Good luck with living on your own," he said sarcastically as he hung up. Did he hang up for dramatic effect or was he still really mad at me?

I looked at my phone, scowling, wondering if he really said what he did just now. Was he being serious? They're just going to leave me like this?

In this situation, there are several ways to look at it. But I think the pros rule out the cons on this one or maybe the cons did. I wasn't really sure so I just tried to push it aside as I started staring aimlessly at the things in Jack's house.

"Who was that?" Jack asked catching my attention.

I got up from the couch and saw him leaning against the doorway that led to the kitchen. He was holding a can of soda in one hand and his other hand was tucked in his front pocket.

"It was Stephen," I replied and he frowned.

"What did he want?" he asked in a deeper tone. Clearly he was upset all over again.

"No, it's nothing bad, I think." I paused scratching the back of my head as one part of my conscience debated with the other. This was a good thing, right?

"Then what is it?" he asked lightly as he walked towards the couch. He sat right beside me and then our eyes met.

"Um, Stephen and my mom won't be coming back until the end of summer." I said as confusion played around in my tone.

Jack didn't say anything for a while. He was probably just as puzzled as I was. I looked away from him and in front of me and zoned out for a while. I really didn't know what to say at this point.

"Well that means you get to sleep over more!" he exclaimed as he jumped up with probably the most joy I've seen in such a long time. It was like handing the biggest toy to a little kid.

I smirked at his proclamation and rolled my eyes. "Jack, I can't depend on you for the rest of the summer. Maybe if you see my face every single day of your life, you'll probably get sick of it." I said and he sat back down, closer this time.

He lifted my chin with his thumb and his fore-finger and looked me straight in the eye. "Brittany Taylor, I could never, ever get sick of you." He said sweetly and I rolled my eyes as I blushed a really deep shade of red. I took his hand away from my chin.

I felt uneasy and uncomfortable as I sat this close to him. His hand was now intertwined with mine and no words were spoken. I bit my bottom lip as I tried to think of an ice breaker that could send this awkwardness away.

I looked at the clock that was right on top of the T.V. and noticed that it was already 7 P.M.

"Hey, Jack what time's the party?" I asked him and he looked at the clock.

"Oh shit! I almost forgot!" he said getting up and starting up the stairs. "You should start getting ready," he called to me as he reached the second story of the house.

A smile of relief tugged on my lips as I grabbed the paper bag that contained the dress and brought it over to my house.

When I opened the door, I realized that it hadn't been locked. I ran inside just to check if someone broke in but luckily, everything was still in place and nothing was missing – or so I thought.

I shut the door behind me as I ran up to get ready. I shut the blinds as I got out of my clothes to get a quick shower.

Once I was through showering and brushing my teeth, I dried off with a towel and started to work on my outfit. Before I did anything else, I placed the dress on since that was something that I was sure about wearing. I smiled to myself as I zipped it up for the second time today. It fit me perfectly well and it showed off the curves I've worked out for since last year.

Then, I ran to the dresser with all the excitement coursing through my veins as I blow-dried my hair. Once it was perfectly dry, I brushed my hair to perfection and let it fall loosely around my shoulders. I spritzed on some perfume around me and made sure I smelled nice.

I put on strawberry flavoured lip gloss and a little mascara before I placed on white flats and some accessories I bought from a store years ago. I stared at the full length mirror that showed my reflection and in my reflection, I saw myself smiling. I was happy.

My phone started buzzing catching me off guard. I ran to pick it up and saw that Jack had sent me a message stating that he was waiting for me in my living room. I went down the stairs quickly to meet him.

When he heard me coming he walked over to the end of the stairs and stared at me with his mouth agape. I blushed as I hooked my arm around his.

"Y-you look amazing," he stammered as he continued to stare me up and down.

"You look good, yourself." I said and he smiled.

Before we left, I made sure to turn off all the lights that I had turned on and got the house keys and then locked the door to prevent unwanted break-ins. Jack told me that he thought it was better if I let him keep all my things for me so he placed both my phone and my keys in his pocket. I mouthed 'thanks' and he winked at me and just like that, he sent chills down my spine.

When we were both set, we both got into the car and Jack started the engine. When he backed away from his garage, he turned the radio on and turned the volume up. We both sang loudly to some of the songs and just had fun.

And then it hit me. Maybe being left alone with the house was a good thing. I'd get to do whatever the hell I want without anyone telling me not to and I'd get to go on tour with the guys without any problem. Summer is finally here.

We arrived in the party scene half an hour later. We both got out of the car and walked alongside each other to the house that held the big party and the loud music that could probably wake the whole neighborhood up.

Jack slipped his arm around my waist as I caught the attention of some guys that were going to the same party. I laughed at Jack as I realized that he was getting jealous. He rolled his eyes at me as we reached the front door of the house.

"What's up my man?" A guy with a red cup in hand greeted Jack and gave him a manly hug. His gaze then dropped on me. "Why hello there," he said taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. "And what might your name be?"

"Brittany," I said with quite a big smile.

"Wow, a pretty name for a pretty lady with a cute smile," he slurred and Jack rolled his eyes with his arm around me. "I'm Alex, the very host of this party." he announced with a cheeky grin. "Welcome to my very humble abode," Clearly, he'd had too many drinks but I wasn't one to judge.

"Thanks, Alex, it's a pleasure to be here," I said and he winked at me.

"Where are the others?" Jack finally spoke up.

"They're somewhere in there I guess," he said walking off to a certain direction.

There was a sea of people in the house. Some were dancing, others were making out while the rest were playing games like beer pong.

The whole house smelled of alcohol and everyone was having a good time. I was in a blissful mood and I enjoyed the scenery before me as we walked towards a group of people.

"Brit, this is Zack and Rian," he introduced as he pointed at the two boys in front of me. They stared me up and down before meeting my eyes to give me a big smile. "Zack is the bassist while Rian is the drummer of the band," he continued and I gave out an 'oh' as I nodded politely towards them. "Guys, this is Brittany, my new neighbor,"

"More like your smoking hot, new neighbor," Zack said and I blushed. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said holding out a hand for me to shake.

"The pleasure is all mine," I said before taking his hand and shaking it.

"It's really nice to meet you," Rian said and placed his hand out as well. I replied with ease and shook his hand.

"I'll go get us something to drink," Jack said and I nodded before he disappeared into the large crowd.

"So what's it like having Jack as a neighbor?" Zack asked as soon as Jack left.

"Well, so far it's been really surreal," I said and they both raised their eyebrows.

"How so?" Rian asked me while taking a swig from his red cup which – from the smell coming from the cup – contained beer.

"Well, maybe if I was some other person, it'd be a whole different experience but having Jack as a neighbor and friend, I've been happier." I said with a sheepish smile.

"Well I guess that's good, I mean at least he's not scaring you off with his goofy attitude," Zack said and I laughed.

We started talking about how old I am and what I'm going to do for college and small things just to make conversation. Once I answered all of their questions, I started to ask them about their lives and how they got into the band and about their music and I found out that they were both pretty cool guys and that Alex – the host of this party – was actually part of the band as the lead singer. But with all this information, I don't think I'd have that much of a hard time hanging with them when I join them for tour. I'm actually getting more and more excited by the hour.

"Hey, sorry I took so long," Jack said appearing behind me holding two cups. He handed one to me and took a swig from his cup.

"It's fine, really." I said smiling.

"Yeah, Brit's pretty cool," Zack told Jack and then winked at me.

"Well I'm glad you guys think that," Jack said with a smile. "She's going to be joining us on tour!" he proclaimed with bursting energy that I guess came from the drink in his hand.

"You are?!" Rian asked with surprise in his voice. I nodded excitedly as I took a sip from my cup.

The drink tasted like a mixture of several types of juice with vodka and tequila blended together. It tasted really good and it didn't give off any burning sensations. I gulped more of it and then noticed that I was in a lighter mood.

Zack, Rian, Jack and I talked about tour and they told me who else they were touring with and some possibilities that might happen during the whole thing.

"So you're most probably going to be handling merch," Zack said and I laughed.

"No! I'm gonna be taking photos of things," I said and they laughed.

"Things? Really?" Jack asked and I smiled and nodded as I pretended to keep my face straight.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as the music got louder.

It was getting harder to hear the conversation that we were having but from what I understood, Zack and Rian went to the kitchen to go get refills.

"Hey, do you want to dance?" Jack asked me as soon as we both finished our drinks. I nodded ecstatically as he took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

We started moving to the beat as we danced real crazy. We were just out here having the time of our lives and I knew that from this point on, life would be more exciting as long as I had him by my side.

With him, I didn't care if I broke any rules. If my mother knew that I was drinking, she'd totally ground me for a month but luckily, she's far, far away from here and she can't do anything about it.

I started to feel more of the alcohol kick in as I started to move with so much energy. We were closer now and the beats started to go a little faster. Jack smiled at me and I smiled back and just like that, it lit up my whole world.

When we finally got tired of dancing, we went back to the kitchen to get a refill of whatever Jack gave me. I drank it quickly knowing that it won't hurt if I drink it too fast.

"Whoa, slow down there," he said pulling my arm down and taking the cup away from me.

"Hey, no fair! That cup is still half full," I yelled and he laughed.

"Ha-ha, you have a juice moustache!" he teased and I used my fore-finger to wipe my wet upper lip.

"Is it gone? Is it gone?!" I asked in panic as he cracked up.

I narrowed my eyes at him as he wiped the tears he had in his eyes. "Not quite," he said in a more serious tone.

"You do it!" I demanded jokingly.

He leaned in closer and placed his thumb on my lips and just then, our lips met and the whole world crashed before us. His lips felt so soft against mine and all I wanted to do was kiss him back and that's exactly what I did.


	6. Chapter 6

Our lips met and it almost felt as if the world was somewhat perfect. I thought it would last forever but suddenly, Jack pulled away with a look in his face that I couldn't really understand.

"What is it?" I asked nervously. "Did I do something wrong?"

He just looked at me with what I think was shock in his eyes. Once he was aware of what exactly he was doing, he turned away and started walking, leaving me in the alcohol filled kitchen.

I wanted to chase after him and ask him about what he was thinking but he got lost in the crowd quickly. There was no way I could catch up with him now. He was so far into the crowd that I couldn't even see past the heads that were blocking my way. I sighed in defeat as I retreated back further into the kitchen to fix myself a drink. I got another red cup since Jack took mine away and filled it with what I was drinking earlier.

I downed probably two more cups before stumbling my way out of the kitchen to look for Jack. A few people were looking my way but I just shrugged them off thinking that maybe they were jealous of my dress – the dress that Jack picked for me. I was slowly beginning to realize that maybe this was deeper than just a crush seeing how every other word that comes out of my mouth is Jack or at least something about him.

I was just passing by people when suddenly, I stumbled into a guy who was out on the dance floor dancing with some girl who looked like she was high on ecstasy or something like that. The guy turned to me as I apologized to him. He looked oddly familiar but with my hazy vision, my mind couldn't process the way he looked. All I knew though was that he was tall and he had styled brown hair.

"You okay?" he asked holding both my shoulders to keep me steady.

"Uhyeahsure," I slurred and he chuckled. "I was wondering if you knew where my friend Jack was," I said talking more clearly. I was in control; the whole situation was under my control.

"Oh, I know where he is but why don't you come with me first?" he asked me as he left the girl he was dancing with and dragged me to a certain direction.

"Where we going?" I asked completely confused and restless as he led me back to the kitchen where it was deserted.

"Let's get you something to drink. You seem a little thirsty," he said deceivingly but I didn't really have the power to argue so I just nodded and he started pouring things in a shot glass he got from a cabinet. "Drink this," he commanded and I downed it without another word.

It hurt my throat a lot. He handed me a lemon as a chaser but that didn't help the burning sensation at all. But then, after a little while, some kinda energy brought me back to life.

"Feel any better?" he asked drinking right from the bottle.

"Mmmhmmm," I said drunkenly as I took his hand and led him to the dance floor.

I was feeling confident as I shook my hips to the rhythm. He placed his hands on my sides and started moving with me. I forgot about all my worries and gave myself whole-heartedly to the music and tried to dance the night away.

The beats started getting heavier and somehow, I was getting a weird sense of a déjà vu. It was like this whole scene happened already but my mind wasn't working right and it couldn't tell me if it did or didn't.

We started grinding on each other and his hands slipped to some parts where they really shouldn't have. But with the way my mind was thinking, I had no problem whatsoever with it. I felt like I could do anything. Like I owned the world and that other people's thoughts and opinions didn't matter. I was confident. I was drunk.

He was holding me tightly and I could feel his warmth as he started planting kisses on my neck. He sucked lightly as his hands travelled up and down my body. I moaned in pleasure as I spun myself around so that I was facing him. Our lips were about to collide when suddenly, I felt someone pull me away.

"Fuck off her, Alex!" I heard a familiar voice yell. Everyone was looking now. Everyone was looking at Jack who just caused a scene.

"C'mon Jack, we were just having some fun," Alex said slipping his arms drunkenly on his shoulder.

Jack pushed him away and I started to get scared. Were they actually going to brawl right in the middle of the dance floor?

"Shut the fuck up, Alex. I know exactly what you were going to do with her," he stated angrily as he grabbed me by the hand and pulled me away from the scene.

I looked back at Alex who put his hand up to his ear telling me that I should call him sometime. He winked at me but I kept a blank expression.

Jack practically dragged me out of house as he walked towards his car. People's stares were starting to get to me and they were really annoying. It's like one of those really embarrassing moments where you did something bad in school and your mother comes and picks you up and drags you all the way to the car in a really rotten mood. I've experienced that once and I really didn't want to anymore but I guess that couldn't happen.

Once he got me in the car, he walked in the driver's seat and started the ignition. He started driving away from the party and on to the road.

"Where are we going?" I asked. This whole time I kept silent since I was afraid of what he might say to me if I did say something.

My conscience was starting to get clearer with each second but my mind wasn't working as well as it was. It was all still sorta hazy but the feelings of guilt, regret and sadness were in me. I don't really understand how that's happening seeing that I wasn't thinking straight but I don't know.

"Home," he said with deep huff. He wasn't too happy about what happened and neither was I but I just didn't understand.

If I try to recall exactly what happened after Jack and I danced, I remember kissing him and wanting to kiss him back but right when I wanted our lips to meet again, he pulled away and stared for a while in some kind of shock and then went away.

I didn't ask why we were going home since he probably didn't want to talk right now. As much as I wanted to just close my eyes and make all this tension go away, I couldn't. My eyes wouldn't shut. I was still high from that single shot I took – the one that Alex gave me.

Thirty minutes passed by swiftly. Next thing I knew was that we were both back at Jack's and I stumbled out of the car. I couldn't find my balance. I felt really disoriented like a toddler who was learning how to walk.

Jack lifted me up and carried me in his arms. I placed my arms around his neck as I looked up at him. I wondered about what he was thinking and if he was still mad at me and things like why he left me after our lips made contact. But I was too scared to say anything. I was too aghast to even try to think about what to say. I was a total mess.

He placed me down on his bed as soon as he got to his room. I was expecting him to lie beside me but as soon as he laid me down, he sat on the edge of the bed that was away from me.

"Jack, I'm really sorry," I blurted out as I sat up and looked at him. It was the only thing that I thought was appropriate to say.

He looked at me with deep bewilderment in his eyes. He turned around taking his shoes off before crossing his legs on the bed. "Why are you apologizing?" he asked clearly unsatisfied.

"Um, I, uh-"

"Brit, look, it's not your fault, okay?" he interjected in a softer tone and a wave of relief washed over me. "Alex likes to get with other girls. He gets them drunk, gets in their pants and then leaves them all alone in a bed when morning comes. It's what you call a one night stand."

"I didn't know that," I mumbled and he smirked.

The whole room went silent for a while as I thought of a way to bring up the question that was pondering wildly in my head. It was like a wild horse inside a big box filled with nothing.

"Jack, why did you run away after you kissed me?" I know that maybe that sounded lame but that was the best I could do with a mind that was currently malfunctioning.

"W-what?" he stammered as I caught him off-guard with my question.

He studied my face for a while. I didn't really know what exactly he was looking for but after a certain amount of time; he knew that I was waiting and that it was getting late.

"Brit, in all honesty, I ran away because I was scared," he mentioned as soon as he composed himself. "It was all happening too fast for me and I just needed a quick breather,"

"But you never came back," I told him.

"And that might have been the biggest mistake I've made tonight," he said almost instantly after I said what I did. "But when I did decide to go back and check on you, I saw you grinding on the dance floor with Alex. Brit, I didn't want you to get hurt so I pulled you away from-"

"I get that part," I interrupted him and he sighed.

"Look, Brittany, I know that I have feelings for you and I guess now you know that too but right now, don't you think it's too early?" he asked inquisitively as I rubbed my temples.

"I'm not sure we're supposed to be talking about this." I said suddenly feeling nauseous. Alcohol was starting to mess with my digestive system. I needed a toilet and quick.

I ran to the bathroom but I didn't bother to shut the door behind me. I started spilling my guts out as I vomited into Jack's bathroom. You might be thinking that maybe that's the worst place to try and relieve yourself from all the nausea since it might be the dirtiest place on Earth, but his bathroom was sorta clean. I mean I guess it was understandable since he just moved in.

Jack came in as soon as I placed my head in the bowl. He held my hair away from my face with one hand and rubbed my back with the other. It all might've been really sweet if we were actually together but we weren't and he was just doing what friends should do. I didn't like this friend boundary anymore. It's the only thing that's blocking me from ever being with him and that killed me inside.

Once I didn't feel that nauseous anymore, I flushed the toilet and got up slowly but Jack was there to support me and keep me balanced so I guess it didn't really matter if I shot up or took it slow. I still wouldn't have ended up falling face down on the floor.

He led me to the sink so I could wash myself but I didn't feel like just washing my face. I wanted to take a bath.

"Um, are you sure about that?" he asked me as he cocked an eyebrow. I just nodded at him as I got away from his grip and walked over to where the bath tub was. I clogged the drain as I started to fill the tub up with water.

"You know I can go if you want," he said nervously and I chuckled at him sleepily.

"You can stay, Jack as long as you don't look when I go naked," I still had a little confidence instilled in me but as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back desperately but I couldn't take them back. Not unless if I had a time machine.

Jack blushed hard before grabbing a bottle of liquid bath soap from the cabinet that was on top of the towel rack.

"Cucumber Melon? Really?" I asked suspiciously as he handed me the bottle.

"It smells nice!" he defended himself as I placed some of it in the tub.

The water in the tub started to form bubbles. I turned off the faucet and was about to unzip the back of my dress when I remembered that I didn't have anything to change into once I was done.

"Um, maybe I should go grab some clothes first before I jump in to the tub," I said starting towards the door.

"Don't worry about that, I can just lend you some clothes for when you're done." He said and I smiled.

"Oh, thanks," I said trying to unzip my back but I couldn't reach it.

Jack zipped it down for me. Once it was down all the way, I turned to look at him and bit my bottom lip as he let out a nervous chuckle and went back into his room. I got out of my clothes and left it all on the clean bathroom floor as I got into the warm water filled with foamy bubbles.

It covered my body fully which was good seeing as Jack started peaking through the door. I motioned for him to come in when it was safe and he slowly walked inside. He sat outside the tub and leaned against the wall. We were across from each other and he was just looking at me with this smile on his face. But I didn't feel that fine yet.

"Jack, can we pretend that this night never really happened," I asked him all of a sudden and he looked at me with a questioning look on his face.

"Depends really," he said playing with the bubbles near my feet.

"Well, it's not like I want to forget everything that happened tonight, I just wanted to erase the part where you left and-"

"Brittany, that kiss didn't really mean anything," he said grabbing a bunch of bubbles and playing with them.

"Um, what?" I asked him as I placed my hair up in a bun using my hand.

"I said it didn't mean anything," he said and I swear in that moment, I would've wanted to drown in the water and not come back up again. I can't believe how fast he made this night the best to the worst one in the whole world.


	7. Chapter 7

I sat in the tub just thinking about what Jack said. How could he say that it didn't mean anything when he was the one who initiated it? I mean he wasn't drunk. Well it surely didn't look like it but if he was then that only goes to show that I don't know him that much yet. I thought I figured him out all the way through but really, I was getting way in over myself. I didn't like the feeling of being wrong. I wish he'd take back what he said and told me that he was only joking but it didn't happen.

"So I should just forget about it?" I asked for most probably the hundredth time tonight.

"Yes," Jack said now annoyed. He chuckled lightly to himself as he got up. "You should probably go wash up or you're gonna prune up like an old lady," Jack said in a friendly manner.

I flashed him a fake smile before he shut the door. I unclogged the drain and watched all the bubbles vanish. I turned on the shower and closed the curtains as I washed off all the suds. Honestly, I thought the soap smelled good and it left a very sweet smell on me.

After I washed up, I grabbed the towel that Jack left behind for me and wiped myself dry. I put on my undergarments before putting on the over-sized white shirt and the flannel pajamas Jack said I could borrow. I looked at the mirror filled with fog and wiped a certain part so I can see my face.

I looked tired and sleepy. I could see the bags forming underneath my blue-green eyes. I needed to go to sleep but I wasn't sure I wanted to face him yet.

I gargled some Astring-O'sol as I thought about what he said before I felt all nauseous and puked. He said that he had feelings for me but then said that it was too early. But if you did like someone, wouldn't you just go for it no matter what? Didn't he like me as much as I liked him? Confusion filled my head as I thought of a reason to convince myself that maybe he was doing this for my good. But making me wait only makes me more and more impatient so why won't he just be the man he is and tell me hoe he feels?

I want this practically more than anything in the world right now and I know I might sound crazy but it is true. It wasn't like I was going to get into a relationship like this and then tell him I didn't want to go through with it anymore. I'm a very loyal person and he needed to see that.

But I guess even if I keep ranting in my head about how much I like him, it's not going to make him fall any faster. All I can practically do is wait for the right moment but live life at the same time. Time moves on and you have two choices. It's either you go with the flow or you lag behind.

I sighed to myself as I walked out of the bathroom after making sure that my breath smelled minty and fresh. I was about to go down and head to the couch when all of a sudden, he perked up from his comfortable position on his bed. I thought he was asleep.

"Where are you going?" he asked me tilting his head to the side in the dark. The only light available was from the window on the left side of the room. The faint glow from the moonlight gleamed on his face. His face showed worry and remorse.

"Oh, um, I was just about to go down and take the couch." I said scratching the back of my head. It was a nervous habit and I was nervous. Wait, scratch that, I was really nervous.

He rolled his eyes at the statement I made. "Don't be silly," he said motioning me over with his hand.

I walked awkwardly towards him as he moved to the right side of his king sized bed and made space for me. I climbed on and took the space on the left side. I sighed quietly before laying on the soft pillow that smelled just like him. It smelled manly and good which only made me crave for him more.

He propped himself on his elbow and I realized that he'd already changed into a pair of boxers and a faded grey shirt. He looked at me smiling while I just looked at his bare ceiling.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" he asked me making me turn my head to look at him.

"Um, it's nothing really," I said knowing that he wouldn't just let it go like that but he didn't push the subject which was unexpected.

"Okay, go to sleep then," he said stroking my cheek with his other hand. "I'll be right here, don't worry." He told me.

"Good night," I gave him a goodnight hug before turning to the opposite side. He mumbled his response and then the room fell silent. The only audible thing was the sound of breathing. It was serene and calming but I was hardly feeling any of that crap.

I wanted to break down badly but I knew that if I did, he'd ask me what was wrong and we'd end up having another awkward conversation. I didn't want that so instead, I just held it all in.

I looked out the window and looked right into mine. I couldn't see what was in my room but surely, I was feeling nostalgic. I really didn't think I'd say this but I think right now, I miss it. If I were in there right now, I'd probably start venting and I'd probably end up having my pillow soaking from all the tears that want to come out right about now. It was really hard to keep it all inside but I needed to struggle. I needed to show him that I can wait for the right moment in time where nothing else will matter but us.

I fought the thoughts away from my head as I tried to close my eyes and drift into a deep slumber where all I could see is black. But as soon as I shut my eyes, it felt like I just suddenly woke up.

I wasn't sure if I was really awake or asleep but everything around me seemed so real. I was in a park and I was lying on the green grass. It was night and the stars were shining above us. I tried to get up but it seemed like something held me down. I looked around me and saw a male figure approaching. It was Jack. He held a bottle of beer and sat down beside me.

"You do know you're just another one, right?" his voice sounded serious as he took another swig of beer.

"What do you mean?" I asked him looking at the stars above me. It was such a beautiful night.

"You're just another trying to get with me 'coz you're locked under my spell," he said lying down beside me. The bottle of beer he was drinking was suddenly gone and he just stared at the twinkling stars. "See all those stars up there? You can't count them, right?" he asked me and I looked at him trying to see if he did go loco or not.

"Yeah, what about them?" I asked him staring as he tried to reach for them absent-mindedly.

"Well, those countless number of stars equate to how many girls want me right now, and hey, look there," he said pointing at the biggest one. "That's yours," he said cockily.

I wanted to bitch slap him right then and there but I was numb. It felt like I'd been paralysed. I couldn't move. All I could do was think, move my head and talk but other than that, nothing.

"You're an ass," I said frankly and he smirked.

"But you're hung up on me so that just makes you dumb and stupid," Was he really saying this right now?

"Shut the fuck up," I said feeling the tears well up in my eyes.

"You see, Brit, all those stars up there are too high up for me to reach. If I don't reach for them, they explode one by one. I don't think I'd want your star. It's too big for me. I might as well just leave it there 'til it explodes," he said irrelevantly but it insulted me like hell.

I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. I watched my star grow bigger and bigger and all of a sudden, Jack got up and left without another word.

"Jack! Where the hell are you going?" I called out to him but he just kept on walking. "Jack! Come back, please!" I begged but I couldn't get up and run after him. I was stuck there helpless on the ground that was starting to eat me alive.

The blades of grass wrapped around my limbs taking me to the bottom of the ground but I could still see the night sky clearly. My star was on the verge of exploding and the ground was starting to bury me in it. I was screaming and shouting for someone to save me but no one came. I needed to get out of her. I was going to die.

Chest pumping, heart racing, breath shortening, head aching, this was it for me. This was the end. This was goodbye.

"Brit? Brittany, get the fuck up! You're scaring the shit out of me!" I heard someone shaking me awake.

My eyes started to flutter and my brain ached as I saw Jack with I think tears in his eyes. Panic was written all over his face but relief took over as soon as he saw my eyes wide open. He pulled me into a tight hug that made it hard to breathe.

What was weird about the whole thing was that I was actually sweating on a cold night and I was panting when I woke up. Was I really screaming this whole time?

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Jack scolded as he pulled away from the hug but I couldn't say anything. I thought I was going to die or at least dead.

"W-what happened?" I asked as soon as I regained enough composure to speak. This was the worst hungover ever.

"You were screaming and shouting and it was scary. It was like you were running from some kinda monster." He said sitting right in front of me.

I sat up and looked at the digital watch he had on his bedside table. It was still four in the morning and I still felt really sleepy and my head hurt like fuck.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I really didn't mean to," I said innocently and he chuckled through all the fear he was feeling.

"It's okay, just go back to sleep and we'll talk about it in the morning," he said lying on his side and pulling me to him.

I lay on his chest and listened to his breathing as I fell asleep. It felt good to have his arms wrapped around me. Almost as if he cared. It almost cured my hangover but that wasn't humanly possible seeing as though my head felt like shit. I let myself fall back into a sleep hoping that nothing else happens.

It was all black for awhile which made it quite clear that I was sleeping. It wasn't soon after I fell deeply asleep that sunlight crept in making it hard for me to keep my eyes closed. But I had to keep them close as I heard Jack having a conversation with someone on the phone.

He was already at the edge of the bed and he was talking just above a whisper. I peeked through my eyes just to get a view of his back. He was now wearing a light blue t-shirt and it looked like he had already taken a bath.

"Dude, I just don't know how to tell her. I mean I like her, I really do but it's just-" he was cut off by the person on the other line. He heaved a sigh which showed just how frustrated he was.

"I know, I know. I mean but don't you think it's too soon? I mean I don't want to love her with a broken heart. I want it to mend first before I give it to her," he said scratching the back of his head.

"I'm sure I'm over her I mean she was just a worthless slut anyway. But somehow the pain she left me with still lingers and I don't want that to hinder me from anything so maybe I should really just wait until it's all gone." I've never ever heard him talk like this before. It was amusing and somewhat interesting but the topic they were talking about just blew me away.

He placed the phone down after a few seconds and was about to turn his head to look at me but luckily, I shut my eyes in the knick of time. Then I pretended to just wake up. I scrunched my face in the sunlight as I breathed in deeply and then made my eyes flutter open.

"Hey, did you sleep well?" he asked climbing back on the bed to check on me.

I groaned still feeling a little pain in my head and then sat up and rubbed my eyes. "I think so," I yawned.

"You still seem sleepy," He said with a light chuckle as he sat right in front of me.

"No, I just yawn when I get up. I don't get why though," I said and he pinched my cheek. It seemed like a weird thing to do but Jack was a very odd boy, I'll tell you that.

"Breakfast is downstairs waiting so we better get going," he said getting up and heading out of his room and down the stairs.

I wondered about what would've happened if I really did sleep in my room last night. Would I still have that dream? And if I did, would I still be alive right now? I mean I think if Jack didn't freak out and make me get up by shaking me, I would've died in my dream. I don't know if I'm exaggerating but I really didn't know how those kinds of things ended. I just hope it doesn't happen again.

I went to the bathroom to pee first before washing my hands with soap and heading down the stairs to see what Jack was munching on this morning.

When he saw me, he flashed a smile. He seemed all giddy today and I didn't know why. Was he trying to hide something from me?

I grabbed a bowl from one of his cabinets and got a spoon from one of the drawers. I grabbed the box of Lucky Charms that was sitting on the island counter and poured some into my bowl. I got the milk from the fridge and poured some into the cereal.

Jack was just having Pop-Tarts. I didn't really find Pop-Tarts enough to satisfy my hunger this morning so I stuck with cereal.

I didn't know why but all of a sudden, I just wanted to ask him about the girl who ruined his life. The one who ruined the chances of me ever getting together with Jack. I hated her even though she never really did anything to me. I had no right to hate her but somehow, I just can't help myself.

"Jack, who were you talking to on the phone this morning?" I blurted out as he almost choked on his Pop-Tart.

"Um, Zack, why?" he asked with anxiety and fright in his eyes.

"I don't know, I kinda heard something I shouldn't have," I said looking at him as I played with the food in my bowl.

"How much did you hear?" he asked but I was getting really antsy and I just wanted to get to the point already and so I asked:

"Jack, how did she break your heart?"


	8. Chapter 8

Jack kept silent as the seconds ticked away. I didn't get much from him. He was too busy staring at the crumbs on his plate. Once I finished eating my bowl of cereal, I looked up at him but he hardly acknowledged me. It's like I struck a nerve – a really big nerve.

Since he wasn't in a talking mood, I told him that I'd be in my house. He barely nodded as I hopped down from my seat and went up the stairs to grab all the things I had from there. I got the dress I wore last night and grabbed my phone and keys that were on his bedside table. I was about to leave when I saw Jack's phone beside the digital watch on the table.

I needed to get some answers and if that meant I had to do it the hard way, then I guess I should just go figure. I took Zack's number from his phone and saved in mine. I know I really shouldn't be doing this but you know me and my lack of self-control. It's weird how I'm not one bit crazy yet. But don't take this the wrong way. I'm not gonna be running around like a hobo on the streets if this doesn't work out.

I placed Jack's phone right back on the table and went down with everything I owned. I made my down the house and through the living room. I walked to by the kitchen just to see Jack in the same position. He hardly moved. He didn't even look up when I passed by.

I started to regret asking him the question. Now everything was on the verge of awkwardness with him and that is a very bad sign. I'm not fortune teller or psychic but it's practically clear that that question blew him up and maybe sooner or later, we'll both drift apart.

But maybe I'm just thinking too much. Am I overanalysing the whole situation? Should I really regret asking that question or was it something that could help him in the long run?

I walked back to my house and unlocked the door using my keys. I shut the door once I got in and went up the stairs to change and fix myself up. I didn't really feel like taking a bath anymore since I did that last night so instead of taking a shower, I just brushed my teeth. After which, I brushed my wild, brown hair. Once I was through with that, I sat on my bed as I stared into my phone.

Should I really ask someone else? Would Jack get angry if he found out? Would he hate me for it? I found myself in an impossible situation but the longing for answers as to who broke Jack apart still lingered in my head.

I gave up on trying to be considerate and called Zack.

"Hello?" he greeted groggily.

"Sorry, Zack, did I wake you?" I asked distraughtly.

"Um, who's this?" he yawned.

"This is Brittany," I answered.

"Oh, hey," he said lightening up with the sound of my name. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you could meet me at Starbucks today so we could like hang out?" I bit my lip hoping that he wouldn't think it would be weird.

"Oh, yeah sure," he said sleepily. "Is Jack coming too?"

"Oh, um, no," I stuttered.

"You guys got into a fight or something?" he asked me and I just sighed.

"It's not really an argument. I'll just explain later okay?" I said sadly.

"Okay, I'll meet you there in fifteen?" he asked me pushing the question away. I was glad he knew how to be thoughtful. I needed someone like that right now.

"Sure," I said as I put down the phone.

I changed into something casual and spritzed some Victoria's Secret perfume on me. I placed some on my wrists and then rubbed them against my neck.

Once I thought I was ready, I grabbed my bag that had most of my stuff ready inside for going out and slipped my phone in. Luckily, I had a driver's license and there was a car in the garage. I made sure to lock everything up before I went into the garage.

I opened the steel garage door that led to the outside world from inside and then got inside the car. The keys were just inside waiting for me to put them into the ignition to bring the engine to life. Once I got the engine to start, I pulled out of the garage and let the garage door shut automatically.

I drove to the nearest Starbucks in town – the one Jack and I went to. I parked my car right outside the outlet and then got out of the car with my bag. Once I got out of my car, the heat hit my face. I hurried inside Starbucks so I wouldn't start sweating. I sighed once I got inside as the cool air comforted me.

Since Zack wasn't there when I came in, I went straight to the counter to get something to drink.

"Good morning, welcome to Starbucks, how may I help you?" The barista asked me as soon as I was right in front of her. She had this smile on her face that seemed forced and it saddened me that she was here on a day where she didn't feel very well. I'd totally call in sick if I felt bad but I guess not everyone thinks like me.

"Um, can I get a tall Java Chip Frappucino?" I told her and she nodded and typed it in the register.

"Can I get your name?" she asked grabbing a tall cup and a sharpie.

"Brittany," I replied and got some cash to pay for the drink. I gave it to her as soon as the digits flashed on the small screen.

She wrote it down and then accepted the cash before telling her co-worker what I ordered. She handed me a receipt before I grabbed the table nearest to the counter to wait for my order. I checked my phone to see what time it was. It was 10:43 which meant only ten minutes went by before I spoke to Zack.

My name was called after a while and I stood up and grabbed my drink. They gave me a napkin and a straw and I accepted it with a simple 'thank you'. Then, I went back to my seat and waited for Zack.

I didn't really know what I was going to ask him. I mean I wanted to know more about Jack's life but I didn't want to seem too desperate. I looked out the door and watched all the people passing by. It didn't take long until I saw a familiar face. I checked my phone again as I sipped my Frappucino and saw that he was half a minute early.

"Hey Brit," he said taking the seat right in front of me. His brown hair was dishevelled but it looked good on him.

"Hey," I replied with a smile. "Aren't you going to get anything to drink first?" I asked and he nodded before he got up and went to the counter.

The girl seemed happier when he came into view and ordered something. Maybe his handsome face cheered him up. I chuckled at the thought as Zack turned to me and raised an eyebrow. I shook my head before checking my phone again trying to make myself look busy.

Unexpectedly, I received a text from my brother. I opened it quickly to see what he wanted from me. Weirdly, he asked me how I was doing. That was very odd coming from my brother but then again, maybe he really was worried or maybe Mom just wouldn't stop bugging him.

I told him that I was doing okay and asked him why he wanted to know. I looked back up to see that Zack was already sitting waiting on me.

"So, what's up?" he asked sipping his cup of hot coffee.

"Well…" I trailed off not knowing how to start the conversation.

"Wait let me guess," he said placing his cup on the table and leaning forward. "You're worried about him since he's acting weird and he's acting like a kid all the time and-"

"No it's not his behaviour I'm worried about, I know some people like him," I said with a light chuckle. "I just want to know more about him," I said looking down at my drink.

"Did you overhear us talking this morning?" he asked hesitantly with some kind of shock instilled in his voice.

I looked up at him and nodded as he heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, it's just that he woke me up," I said with teeth clenched in worry.

"Its fine, I guess but I'm not sure I'm the one you're supposed to be asking about all this," he said sipping his coffee.

"Please?" I begged, "I just want to know what happened so I can understand why he's acting this way," I said. Okay, mission 'try-not-to-sound-desperate' was a complete failure but I just needed to get this out of the way so I can clear the air.

"Fine but if he knows about all this and asks me, I'm gonna be blaming you, okay?" he said and I laughed.

"Okay," I assured him and waited as he thought about where to start.

"I guess I'd have to start with the whole move," he said sipping more of his coffee. "The whole reason for his move was because of his ex-girlfriend," I said almost spitting out some of my drink. He laughed at my reaction as he continued, "You see, his girlfriend was the kind of girl who wasn't contended with anything that was given to her,"

"So you're saying that Jack wasn't enough for her?" I interrupted and he put a finger up signalling me to wait.

"She wanted the whole world in her hands and Jack just couldn't give her that. She was pretty materialistic and she didn't give a shit about the band and the music we were making. She was pretty ungrateful about everything and Jack had to find ways to make her happy. He tried his hardest but in the end, she just crushed him into itty bitty pieces.

"I tried to help with the situation but even my ideas didn't work. She was too much for anyone to handle. She wanted too many things from Jack and whenever Jack told her that he couldn't provide it for her, she'd blackmail him by playing the break-up card." He said as I leaned back on my seat with my Frappucino in hand.

"Why did he choose to stay with her then?" I asked him and he smirked. I bet he knew that that question was bound to come out from my mouth.

"He was blind," he told me and I furrowed my eyebrows in query. "He set his mind into thinking that she was the one for him and that they'd probably grow old together or something stupid like that. She was practically the only one who turned him from being a really fun and wild boy into someone serious or in other words a freakin' buzzkill." He said in disgust and shuddered at the memory.

"So how did they end the relationship then?" I asked Zack who was finishing up the remains the coffee left in his cup.

"Well, practically, the whole time they were dating, she was seeing other people," he said and my eyes opened up wide. "And when I say other people, I mean three other guys," he said as I dropped my jaw.

"What a careless, ungrateful slut hoe!" I exclaimed. Zack shushed me as people stopped to stare at me.

My cheeks flushed red as he started to laugh at my reaction. I couldn't help it. How is someone capable of actually doing that to someone who didn't deserve to be treated that way?

"How did she manage to keep all that from Jack?" I asked him as soon as I composed myself.

"Well, she wasn't really around most of the time and she never really joined us when we left for tour so I guess while we were away, she forgot about Jack for a certain period of time and got with other guys," he said.

"When did Jack find out about this?" I asked with a tone filled with concern.

"When they got together and Jack left for tour," he stated and I raised an eyebrow.

"So you mean he just knew?" I asked rubbing the back of my neck trying to figure it out.

"No, when he came back home and tried to surprise her by coming home one day before, she ended up surprising him with a take home guy from some bar she went to," he said and I smirked at his choice of words. "But after that, Jack forgave her. I didn't know why he did what he did but he told us that there was something in her that seemed to be calling out to him."

"Okay?" I said finding it weird that Jack actually though that about her.

"That same situation happened multiple times and he gave her more than three chances to change but that never happened and Jack was just never the same after that," he said sullenly as he reminisced. "It took him months to recover from that relationship but when he did, he decided that it was best to move and find a new place so that he could forget about her.

"Jack's still really torn apart about the whole situation even if it happened about a month ago but then he met you," he mentioned making me look up at him in surprise.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked him casually as I sat in an upright position.

"He met you and he told me that his whole mind set changed. He told me that there really is someone out there who's right for him and that his ex-girlfriend was nothing but a wall that distracted him." He said meaningfully.

"So you're saying-"

"He told me that he's still in search for the right one so I'm making no promises," he said and at first I didn't really catch his drift but I guess all he was trying to say was that Jack didn't say that I was the one he was looking for.

"Okay," I said contented.

He watched me intently for any trace of sadness or unhappiness. He thought that what he said upset me but I'm good at hiding my feelings so I'm sure he won't be able to find anything out of the ordinary.

"You're not upset, are you?" he asked cocking an eyebrow. I just laughed at him.

"Of course not," I lied. "I mean I totally get it now,"

"Mmmhmmm," he said not believing anything I said. I just rolled my eyes at him.

I was about to say something when his phone started ringing. He held up a finger as he got up and answered the call outside.

I thought about everything he just told me and felt bad about rushing Jack. He needed time – lots of it to be exact. While Zack told me everything, I couldn't help but feel guilty about trying to get this all out of Jack. I mean I thought it was something light and easy to deal with but this whole thing was really hard to process.

Jack didn't need to say anything and he made the right decision to just stare at the crumbs on his plate when I asked him. I bet it hurt him a lot. I should really go apologize to him later.

Zack came back in after a while with a worried look on his face. "Hey, uh, Brit, I'm really sorry but I kinda have to go. I totally forgot that we had band practice today," he told me and I chuckled.

"It's okay, you should go," I said grabbing my bag which was on the chair beside mine.

"Why don't you just come with me?" he invited and I looked up at him. "I mean you're not doing anything today, are you?" he asked me and I shook my head.

"But won't I be some kind of disturbance or something?" I asked awkwardly not really knowing why I was making excuses.

"Nah, c'mon, we need an audience member to cheer us on anyway," he said with a wink and I laughed.

I got up and got into my car and he got into his. We decided that since we both brought a car that I would just tail him until we got to Rian's house where practice was going to be held.

The whole drive there, I kept thinking about how I would act towards Jack knowing all of this new information about him but it was hard to think so I don't know, go figure?


	9. Chapter 9

We arrived at Rian's after a few turns and we both parked along the driveway which had two other cars lined along the side. I guess Alex and Jack were here already.

I got out of the car and locked it as I placed my keys inside my pocket. Zack gave me a small smile before walking in without knocking. I guess the guys were all used to barging into each other's houses since they all know each other pretty well to trust one another.

We both walked into the living room just to see Jack and Alex concentrated on a game of COD: Modern Warfare 2. They didn't even notice Zack and I come in to the house. They were probably on the verge of killing each other or their enemies. I wouldn't really know. I smiled at what I saw before greeting Rian who was in the kitchen looking for something to eat.

He perked up as soon as he heard our footsteps on the ground. "Hey Brittany!" he said with a happy smile on his face. I replied to him with the same kind of smile.

The house was suddenly silent and I turned to see that Jack had paused the game to look at me. He smiled sheepishly as I waved. He was in a better mood now and that was good.

"So this is what you call band practice?" I asked as I sat on the stool beside the island.

"Well usually when we say 'band practice', we just mean hang out and do shit like this," Zack said taking the stool beside me as Rian laughed before turning back to continue his search.

"You guys want anything to eat?" Rian asked a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream from his freezer.

"Nah, we just went to Starbucks," I said checking my phone again. Stephen sent me another message. Could he really get anymore annoying?

"You two?" he asked startled. I looked up to him and saw that he had a look of disbelief plastered on his face.

"No, no, it's nothing like that," I laughed and he exhaled in relief. I looked at Zack who was now facing the other way, intrigued by the situation Alex and Jack were in the game.

Rian grabbed a spoon from a drawer and led us all out to the living room. I sat on the sofa chair that was right beside the long sofa in the middle of the room. I was too busy texting my brother who asked me if I needed anything to realize that the game was over and Zack took Jack's place.

I sent the message that I composed and looked up to see that Jack was in the kitchen. I got up and walked up to him. We needed to talk.

"Hey," I said leaning on the counter. He was just staring out the window probably wondering why I was here.

"Oh, hey," he said turning around with a smile. I knew he was keeping things. I can see it clearly. He was just putting on a show for the guys in the next room.

"Um, I think we need to talk," I whispered not really wanting the rest of the people to hear.

"Sure," he said leading us both out to the backyard porch. We both sat on the swing and looked out into the distance before us.

"So what'd you want to talk about?" he asked breaking the silence with the same kind of synthetic tone.

"Jack, I'm really sorry that I asked you something really personal back at your house. I really shouldn't have asked you something like that. That was so stupid of me," I blurted out not able to keep it all in.

"Hey, don't worry about it, okay?" he said turning his head to look at me. I looked back at him and saw that he actually meant it.

We were just silent for a while as the guilt inside me just wouldn't simmer down. I had too much information on Jack and he needed to know what I knew. I really don't know how he'll take it but I guess I really don't have any other choice.

"Look, I know about everything," I said looking down at my plaid Chucks. I didn't want to meet his eyes. I didn't want to see exactly how he'd react to this. It might be too much for me to take.

"What do you mean?" he chuckled lightly. Maybe he thought I was talking nonsense.

I looked up to see the view that Rian had from the backyard before answering him. "I mean I asked someone about your ex," I said biting my lips. That came out too abruptly.

"W-what?" he asked in shock. "Who did you ask?"

"Jack, it doesn't matter who I asked-"

"Why would you do something like that?" he interrupted as he got up in frustration.

"What do you mean exactly?" I asked now confused.

"Well, I was bound to tell you about what happened but then you just go behind my back thinking that it's okay to just ask people about what happened to me in the past? What would you do if I did the exact same thing to you?" he snapped. I should've seen this coming but I didn't.

I didn't really know how to answer this one so I just kept silent as I tried to keep the tears from falling. "I'm sorry, Jack," I mumbled as he shook his head towards me.

"I can't believe this," he said turning his back to me and leaning against the porch railings.

"Look, Jack it wasn't like I was looking for some kind of gossip. I care about you. That's why I wanted to know. I know that I should've waited but you should really know that I'm not the kind of person who waits. I'm a very impatient person." I tried to explain.

He spun around so that he was looking at me and just glared. "How is that my problem?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"I wasn't saying it was," I said in a sigh. "I was just trying to explain why I wanted to know,"

"What exactly do you know?" he tested me as he placed his hands on the railings, leaning back.

"Oh, um," I thought for a moment. Where was I supposed to start? "Well, I know that she was some girl who wasn't satisfied with anything you did for her," I said looking to the side as I spoke.

"Great, you talked to Zack," he said and I looked up at him.

"H-how did you know that?" I stuttered.

"Because he was the only one who really knew everything," he said breathing out heavily.

"Don't blame him, though," I said getting up in caution. "I begged him to tell me. It's not his fault,"

He groaned not really knowing what to say about that. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do now? Just let this all slip by me and pretend that nothing happened?" he asked aggressively.

"No," I mumbled under my breath. "But tell me, Jack, why exactly do you feel this way towards the whole subject?" I asked and he looked at me as if I just said the craziest thing in the world. Shit, maybe I did.

"Why do I feel this way? I'll tell you why I feel this way. I feel this way because what she did to me practically burned a whole in my chest. She ruined me and I couldn't handle it and I just wanted to get away from everything that reminded me of her and I just didn't want to remember everything she did to me. I moved next door to you to get away. I know that maybe one day she'll find me and everything we've been through will flash right across my head repeating each and every scene that she made with me but right now, I didn't want any of that to happen but guess what it just did thanks to you and your nosiness. So if you were trying to rip me apart to get me all fucking emotional like this then I guess you completed your mission."

I was stunned. After I heard each and every word that came out of his mouth right now, I couldn't help but release all the tears that I was barely keeping inside.

He rolled his eyes at me and mumbled something like "The waterworks won't work on me, honey," before walking back into the room. I just sat back down as I tried to keep myself conscious as I cried silently. I didn't want to have to make another dramatic scene. I mean I think it was enough for today.

I breathed out heavily as I kept myself calm as I got up from the porch swing. But just as I got up, the back door opened and revealed Alex.

"Whoa, don't worry, I'm not drunk," he said trying to tell me that he was safe to talk to.

"Um, I kinda knew that," I said through all the tears that just kept falling. I wiped some out of my face as Alex sat us both back down on the porch swing.

"Look, Jack is in a really emotional state right now and he's really not himself. I've known him for so long but I've never seen him like this." He said looking at me. I turned my head to look at him and I saw that he really wasn't joking. "In time, he'll heal. Don't worry," he said placing and arm around me trying to comfort me.

"I'm so stupid," I said totally changing the topic.

"Hey, don't say that," he said as he rubbed his hand up and down my arm comfortingly.

"But, it's true," I said getting up from my comfortable stance as I turned to face him. "I should've just waited for him to tell me everything. Maybe if I did, he wouldn't be furious at me."

"But you wouldn't know the real Jack if you didn't know about the whole situation he's in," Alex said making a point. "Tell me, what do you guys do over at his place?"

"Well we haven't really done much since we've only met two days ago but when he arrived in the house next door to mine, I helped him out with his stuff and he seemed a little out of it. I mean maybe he made fun of me for trying to help him out but his eyes seemed tired and it looked like he had been crying or something," I said and Alex nodded as he waited for me to continue. "Then I left him since everything seemed kinda awkward. I went to the park for awhile and then went back to the house but when I arrived, my mother told me that he was looking for me so after dinner, I went over to his house and asked him why he wanted to see me,"

"What did he want?" Alex asked shifting his position so both his elbows were leaning on his thighs that were spread out widely. He clasped his hands together as he looked on the floor.

"Well, he wanted to watch movies with me because he said he felt sorta lonely," I said and he smirked.

"You see, when Jack meets someone new, he usually jumps on them like a wild dog. With his odd behaviour, sometimes he scares the shit out of people but some people who seem fine with his behaviour maintain some kind of friendship. The way you described him just now was really not the kind of Jack that I expected." I laughed at his description of the Jack that I was bound to get to know if this all turned out okay in the end.

"Well, with the way things seem right now, I might not be able to get to know the real him," I said pessimistically.

"Oh come on, this is a mere bump in the road, Brit. You guys'll get through it," he said keeping my hopes up.

"It's not like we're in a relationship," I said looking at him as he rolled his eyes.

"But you guys are friends," Alex said as he got up and stretched his limbs. "Trust me, just give him some time and he'll be the same odd kid again." He said and I chuckled quietly as he made his way back inside.

Truthfully, I had no right to be here so once Alex was inside, I walked down the porch steps and made my way around the house without the guys noticing. I didn't want to face Jack and make his day even worse so I just got into my car and turned on the ignition.

I turned on the radio and started to drive back home. Luckily I paid attention to the roads and everything or I'd be totally lost right now.

As I drove around, I thought about how long Jack might take until he'd get through this 'mere bump in the road' as Alex called it. Now I know that I shouldn't really be rushing into anything here but as I said, I'm a very impatient person.

I really should try to learn to be more patient. I mean if I don't, situations like this might pop up everywhere as I grow older. I wish there was some kind of class for this but deep inside, I kinda knew that even if I'd take the class, I'd probably still doze off and not learn anything from it.

Once I arrived back at my house, I parked the car in the garage and got inside the house. It seemed so lonely now so I decided to get my camera and walk to the park.

The weather and the lighting seemed kinda perfect for a little photo shoot. But the main problem was I didn't know what to take pictures of. So I just kinda sat on the bench where I've grown familiar with since ever since I was a kid, I used to just sit here whenever I was sad or whenever I wanted to get away. But as I grew older, I became really interested in photography and so my dad kinda enrolled me in some summers over the past few summers and since then, I went to the park with a camera in my hand taking pictures of things that seemed really insignificant to some people. I didn't know why I liked to take pictures of the simplest of things but somehow, if you really stopped to think about it, maybe they weren't all so worthless and maybe there was some underlying statement there just waiting to be found out.

"Hey, I knew I'd find you here," a guy with a familiar voice said waking me up from the thoughts in my head. I looked up to see if it really was who I thought it'd be. Panic coursed through my veins as I saw his face. From that moment on I knew this day couldn't get any better. So much for trying to get away from everything that I thought I'd never have to face again.


	10. Chapter 10

"What are you doing here?" I asked spitefully with all the anger I could stir up at the moment.

Just to give you a little background as to who I was talking to, I was actually having a conversation with Chris – an ex of mine. He was the cliché type of jock that everyone wanted in high school. He slept with practically all the girls of the student body which sucked for me 'coz apparently, I was one of them. But there was just one good thing about the whole relationship and don't worry, I never thought I'd get anything out of this either but they all say that I was actually the only one he took seriously. Now I'm not being conceited or anything because it was truly a cold hard fact but even with all that said I didn't really believe them. But sooner or later each and every cheerleader made it hard for me not to believe because they always tried to tear me down with their death glares.

Chris and I dated during the summer and the relationship was pretty stable and we had tons of fun. We had plenty of the greatest memories that I think neither of us will be able to forget. But as soon as the school year started, everything seemed different. He joined the football team and he caught everyone's eye. He couldn't be seen with me because he was afraid that I would be the one that would pull his popularity down. That's exactly what he reasoned out as soon as we were alone and he decided to break up.

We were right here on this spot in the middle of October and he just ripped me apart and now he wants to get back together? Dream on, asshole.

"C'mon don't be like that," he said taking a seat beside me. Fortunately, he kept his hands to himself. I was thankful for that.

"We shouldn't be talking," I said getting up and leaving but he grabbed my wrist since my hand was carrying the camera I brought with me.

"Please, just hear me out okay?" he begged. I gave in and sat back down but I looked ahead of me as I stared out at the distance. I watched the kids play in the sandbox remembering the time I used to play in there and have sand in my hair every time I came home.

I kept silent as he started his speech that I think he practiced in front of the mirror a thousand times.

"I'm sorry about breaking up with you for a quite a shallow reason. It didn't really hit me 'til now but I just want you to know that every single day I lived through the school year, all I thought about was you. All those games I won as the star quarterback, they were all because of you…"

I didn't really hear anything anymore since I sorta zoned out. I knew he wasn't being one bit true. I knew it was another summer fling. Boys like him never change.

Once he stopped talking, or rather once I didn't hear his voice anymore, I breathed out lightly and turned to face him.

"So? What do you say?" he asked looking desperate. Wow, this boy really knew how to act this all out. No wonder all the girls who were dumb enough to believe him slept with him.

"I don't want to have anything to do with you," I said keeping it calm. I didn't want wrinkles so I guess I shouldn't be furrowing my eyebrows as much.

I was about to get up and walk away when he stood up with a heavy sigh. Oh this was it, here it comes.

"So you mean everything we did, everything we had, it meant nothing to you?" he said starting an argument. Wow this seemed like some kind of weird déjà vu but only with a weird twist because the roles are switched and he's the one trying to win me back.

"Dude, didn't you tell me I was nothing but a fling to you-"

"Please tell me you didn't just believe that," he interrupted and I looked at him as if he just said something in another language that I couldn't decipher or understand.

"How can you expect me not to believe something like that?" I asked in deep exasperation as he clenched his jaw. He was tearing up. I wanted to laugh badly but I'm sure everything would just end up even worse if I did.

"Point is, I didn't mean it okay?" he stepped forward to the point where he was too close for comfort.

"Wow, is this how you get all the girls under you spell, lie to them just to get in their pants? Oh wait, you don't even have to answer that because the answer seems pretty clear to me," I said and he sat back down on the bench.

"You're the only one I want, Brit." He mentioned and I rolled my eyes.

"Be real, Chris, you're nothing but a manwhore who gets too lonely and sexually frustrated. I'm surprised you're not checked into rehab for being some kind of sex addict," I said placing the strap of the camera around my neck so I could cross my arms across my chest as I talked to him.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said looking to the side before looking up at me. "You don't know how much I regret dumping you. I'd take it all back if I could,"

"You're making no sense," I said shaking my head at him.

"I never slept with anyone except Stacy," he confessed looking at the floor. Stacy was the head cheerleader.

"Yeah, sure," I said sarcastically.

"I'm serious. She only told the whole school that I slept with people because when she and I slept together, I was drunk and I said your name. She told me the next day that if I didn't break it off with you, she'd spread rumours about me in school so that's why I had to end it with you but even once I did that, she still spread the false rumour to the whole student body. The boys on the team praised me but only Stacy and I knew that none of what they praised me for was one bit true. Brit, I had to keep a straight face for my coach and the school. Everyone depended on me. But nothing meant anything anymore since I wasn't with you. Brittany Addison Taylor, you were and still are my everything. I am so sorry about what I put you through but it's all over now and we can finally be together,"

My stance loosened up as tears started pouring from his eyes. I couldn't take it anymore so I ran off to the direction of my house. Even if he was an athlete, I still beat him when it came to sprinting. So I took this an advantage to get to my house first and lock the front door so he couldn't get in. I slid down the door and sat on the floor as I burst into tears. I couldn't breathe properly and it was getting blurry.

It only took a couple of seconds before a second pair of footsteps ran up the front porch.

"Brit, please, open up," he begged. I heard something thud on the door. I guess he must be leaning against it.

"No," I said inaudibly through the ball in my throat. I put my camera next to me and hugged my knees as I cried my eyes out.

I wasn't really sure why I was getting all emotional on this. I didn't know if I was crying because I believed him or because after everything that he put me through, he still has the nerve to lie to me.

It was silent for a while until I heard someone else get on the porch. I didn't really recognize who it was since that person was talking softly but Chris was reacting violently telling the other person to back off because it was none of his or her business.

I slowly opened the door just in time to see Jack and Chris in a heated conversation. Chris was about to strike a punch when I pulled his shirt harshly.

"Stop it the two of you," I whispered hoarsely. The statement might have been meant for the two of them but I didn't want to look at Jack.

"Dude, I think you need to leave." Jack demanded. I watched Chris intently and let go of his now crumpled shirt as he briskly walked down the porch cursing.

I was about to turn to Jack but he was already in the middle of the yard heading back to his house.

"That's it? No questions?" I asked chasing him down as I placed a hand on his shoulder to spin him around.

He looked tired and suddenly, there were circles under his eyes. "What else did you want?" he asked shrugging off the hand that I placed on his shoulder.

"Jack, why did you do that?" I asked. I wasn't really thinking straight anymore due to all the drama that occurred today. My head throbbed in so much pain and my mind could think of the right questions to ask him.

"I actually did something decent and you question me about that too?" he asked bitterly.

"You didn't have to do that," I whispered as I stared at the blades of grass beneath us. The sun was about to set in a while and it was starting to get dark.

"Well, sorry for trying to be a nice person. I didn't know that was such a big problem," he said sarcastically making more tears pour out of my eyes.

"Jack, I don't want it to be this way anymore." I said begging for his forgiveness. "Can we just start over?"

"You crossed a big line," was all he said.

"Jack, do you know exactly how guilty I feel right now just because of what I did today?" I asked speaking with my eyes closed since my eyes were starting to hurt.

He kept silent as I opened my eyes a bit. I watched him closely as his face softened. He looked to the side not really knowing what to say anymore.

"Look, the reason I kicked that boy from your front porch was because I saw you from my living room window crying. I got out of my house knowing he was trouble. Even if we are in some kind of argument now, we're still friends. No matter how much I tell myself that maybe I was wrong to think you were someone trustworthy, I just end up shoving those thoughts away because…" he trailed off not really knowing what to say.

"Because, what?" I asked him eagerly.

He looked up at me and sighed. "I can never stay angry with you, Brit. I don't know why. You have this sort of effect on me that reminds me that you're someone I have to protect no matter what. My mind couldn't stop thinking about you after that argument we had and maybe I sorta overreacted but, I don't know," he said rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at the ground.

"Jack you don't have to forgive me this quickly," I said. I know that might have sounded stupid but it seemed like the right thing to say.

"No matter how much I don't want to, I can't," he said smiling sheepishly at me.

He sighed before pulling me into a hug.

"C'mon, it's getting late," he said pulling away. He grabbed my hand and led us both to his house.

We ate some pizza that he apparently bought but couldn't finish by himself. Was he wallowing this whole time? I didn't want to think about it so I just shrugged the thought off.

Once we were both stuffed, we washed up and settled on the couch to watch some more movies. Jack slept after the middle of the first movie. I guess he was really tired.

My phone buzzed and told me that I had a text message. I checked my phone and didn't find Stephen's annoying name on the screen. It was Chris. He told me that our conversation wasn't over yet and we had to meet again some time.

Did he think I was an idiot? I deleted the message as I went to the bathroom. I got up from the couch without waking Jack to splash my face with some water. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought about the whole Chris situation. Was he actually telling the truth? He did sound pretty convincing and while we were together, he hardly knew how to tell a lie. I didn't know him anymore when school started since we never really talked to each other so I don't really know if he was telling the whole world about his fake sex life or not.

I don't know what I'm gonna do about this but I don't think that mattered anymore since I have better friends now. I didn't need him anymore. He was nothing but a useless liar.

But as I say these things, I begin to think about Stacy and how she tells lies about everyone to make them feel bad. I didn't know she could do that to popular people too. I mean I thought they were all in one group because they were friends.

I didn't think I'd actually spend time thinking about high school during the summer but here I am thinking about it.

I hated Chris for actually bringing everything back up. But maybe if he never saw me in the park today, Jack and I would still be in the worse terms possible.

So was his reappearance really a good thing or a bad thing? I don't really know but hopefully someday, I'll find out.


	11. Chapter 11

Days passed by fast since that day where Chris reappeared and almost ruined my summer. Luckily, Jack was awesome enough to make me feel better about everything. He did that by watching old time favorite movies, going shopping, making prank calls and well just being the kids we were at heart.

Everyday seemed like a surprise with Jack even if all the things we did were ordinary and simple. He didn't have to take me out on a really big and fancy date just to make everything seem fresh. He was the surprise. He was the one who made everything seem surprising and I loved him for that. I loved him as a friend.

I didn't think I'd be able to say that but I don't know with everything he and I did together, it would remind me of him as a brother. He wasn't really the romantic type of person so there was no way I could take him seriously. He was more of the fun kind of guy who you'd see as like some kind of brother. He was protective in a way too. He sneered at almost every guy who looked at me. He might've been protective but he still knew how to have fun and keep me happy.

It had already been two weeks of fun and I don't think I can ever get enough with him. He leaves me like an addict always wanting more. I don't know how he does it but it works every time.

Tour was starting today but I felt really tired. Gladly, I packed all my belongings days before and they were now resting in Jack's living room. I was planning to sleep all day when suddenly, the bed started shaking and someone jumped on me.

I groaned and rolled over but Jack rode on me and screamed for me to get up.

"Jack, get your fucking boner off of me!" I said pushing me off of me.

"Not until you suck it!" he joked and I punched him in the stomach.

He groaned in pain and rolled off of me. I laughed as he fell to the floor. I was about to help him up as I lent him a hand but then he pulled me down too and then he started to tickle my sides.

"JACK!" I said before laughing uncontrollably. "What…are…you…doing?" I managed to get out in between laughs.

"I'm tryna get you to pee on yourself," he said laughing and I laughed harder.

"Stop it!" I screamed and he laughed and then stood up.

I just lay on the floor until he offered to pull me up. I didn't really have any plans for revenge so I just took his hand and got up.

"YAY! WE START TOUR TODAY!" Jack screamed all of a sudden and then started running around his house like a hooligan. I let him be as I shook my head and got into the bathroom where my clothes were all laid out on the counter where the sink was located.

Fortunately, for me, Jack keeps his bathroom clean. I bet if I wasn't living with him, it wouldn't be this clean. I stripped out of my clothes and got into the shower to bathe myself. Jack said I wasn't going to get another chance to do this on the road so I guess now's the best time to take a long, relaxing bath. I didn't take that much time though since I was really hungry and I thought that if I were to stay any longer, I would pass out.

I dried myself up with a towel that I've learned to call my own and placed some clothes on. I brushed my wavy hair and brushed my teeth. Once I was satisfied, I got out of the bathroom and placed my phone in my pocket. I went down the stairs to get something to eat.

"Traitor, you were supposed to go screaming with me," Jack said trying his best to act hurt.

"Oh, I thought that was a 'Jack-only' thing," I said and he looked at me and furrowed his eyes playfully.

"Well, it wasn't," he said taking a bite of his peanut butter sandwich.

"Oh, I could've sworn I saw jackass all over it," I said and laughed and he scowled at me before laughing along.

"You're only lucky you're a girl and you're funny and cute," he said and winked at me.

"Or what, huh? You'd act violently against me?" I asked taking a piece of toast that was left untouched on his place.

"Maybe," he said in all seriousness and I cracked up.

After I finished that piece of bread, I walked over to the cupboard to grab a glass. I opened the fridge and grabbed the carton of orange juice. I placed some in the glass and drank it slowly.

Satisfied, I placed the glass in the sink and placed the carton back in the fridge. Jack just stared at me. When I caught his eye, he looked away. "Well, I'm gonna go change. The guys are gonna be here any second now and I haven't packed yet." He said rushing up the stairs to wash away the awkwardness. I smiled at what happened before going up the stairs to help him pack.

When I came up and got into his room, I stopped at the door since it looked like the whole place was hit by a hurricane. Clothes were everywhere, on the floor, on the bed, on top of tables, on the dresser, hanging on the door knob and the cabinet shelves were empty.

"How long is the tour going to be exactly?" I asked suddenly insecure about how little I packed. I'm a minimalist so I didn't really think about bringing a lot of clothes with me.

"Just a month long," he said. "But you already knew that," he turned back to look at me as he stuffed his clothes in a bag.

"Why are you packing so many clothes?" I asked him looking around the room.

"Who says I'm packing everything?" he countered and rolled my eyes at him.

"How exactly did you get all your clothes flying across the room?" I asked him as I sat on the bed.

"I have secret magical powers," he whispered grabbing a pair of socks that were beside me.

"Is that so?" I said trying to play along. I lay on the bed as he smirked. "I'm gonna miss this bed,"

"Me too," he said jumping on it as soon as he zipped his bag up.

My head was bobbing up and down involuntarily. Jack was about to fall on top of me but then regained balance and bounced off the bed. He bent over and hugged the unmade sheets. "I'll miss you all," he said kissing his pillows, the mattress and the blanket.

At this I laughed but it was cut short due to the loud honking of whatever it was that was going to bring us to the venue.

We both ran down the stairs like little kids. I grabbed my bags and ran out the door before Jack could come out.

"Brittany!" Alex said running towards me and hugging me.

"Geez, Alex it's only been a week since we last met," I said remembering the time where we all hung out at the mall just for fun.

"It seemed like forever," he said letting go and I smirked. He helped me get my stuff on the bus.

We walked towards the bunks and he told me that I got the bottom one on the right side. Zack and Rian were both at the back playing with the Xbox but their heads shot up as soon as they saw me. They put the game on pause and came over to me.

"Hey Brit, are you ready for tour?" Zack asked as I placed all my bags under my bunk.

"Where's Jack?" Rian asked before I got to answer Zack's question.

"Jack's-"

"I'm here, honey!" he interjected imitating the voice of one of those old ladies with really high pitched voices.

"And I'm not sure if I am, Zack," I said smiling at him brightly.

"Don't worry, no one's ever really ready, it just happens," he said and I laughed.

"I call dibs on the bunk on top of Brit's!" he exclaimed but then Alex came in running.

"Well, that's too bad! It's taken!" Alex said making a funny face where he sticks his tongue out and places his hands on either side of his forehead and moving his fingers back and forth.

I rolled my eyes at the conversation they were having and followed Zack and Rian back to the back of the bus where they continued playing Tekken 6.

Zack was on the verge of beating Rian when Rian stroke a power punch that totally drained the life out of Zack's character. Zack went ballistic and I started laughing as Rian high-fived me. If this was how easy it was going to be then I don't think I might have a problem in dealing with these guys. I loved tour already.

The bus started moving and Alex and Jack were almost done arguing about who gets what bunk. Alex got the bunk on top of mine which was cool with me. Jack said that he'd get the one beside mine and with that, everything was settled.

They walked into the back together and saw me and Rian in a battle. I was beating Rian and he was getting more and more devastated.

"Girl, where the hell do you get your skills?" Rian questioned as soon as I beat him again on the second round of our third fight.

"Well, I guess I was just born to win," I bragged and he smirked. I gave the controller back to Zack and smiled at Jack who looked defeated.

I went up to him and hugged him because he seemed like he needed it.

"See, at least she loves me, Alex. I thought you used to but you're just a selfish bitch," Jack said and I looked at him before looking at Alex who had his jaw dropped and a hand on his chest.

I laughed at this and then went back to where the bunks were. I felt like lying down so I just lay there and plugged in my earphones and listened to some music. I was about to shut the curtains when all of a sudden, someone stopped me.

"Scoot over," Alex said and I moved to the side to make space for him.

He lay down beside me and the bunk got really tight.

"Whatever happened to sleeping in your own bunk?" I asked him and he turned to face me.

"I don't know, I felt like crashing here," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"You should remind me to get you some All Time Low merch," he said eyeing my NeverShoutNever! wristband intently.

"Are you jealous?" I asked wiggling my eyebrows as I held up the arm that had the NSN wristband.

"Psh, hell no," he said and I laughed.

I didn't understand why I just couldn't stop laughing to day. Was it because I was overly excited about what was about to happen? I looked out the window and saw houses blur past us we zoomed ahead of them. My heart was thumping really fast and I was just so happy to be here.

"What are you listening to?" Alex asked taking my iPhone away from me.

"Music, duh," I said sarcastically and he looked at me and narrowed his eyes.

"I meant what song-" he paused looking at what was playing or at least that's what I thought he was looking at. "Who's Chris?" he asked and I tried to grab m phone back from him but he swiped his hand away. He was waiting for an answer.

"He's no one," I said silently looking back out the window.

"He can't be no one," he said. "He's sending you mushy things. Is this kid your boyfriend or something?"

"No," I said completely ignoring anything else he might have said. I was starting to get annoyed. Not at Alex but at Chris.

"Okay then," he said letting it go as he gave my phone back to me. "You and I have to talk some time. That's why I placed my number on your phone," he said smiling brightly and I smiled back. His smile was infectious and contagious so I had no other choice.

We just lay there talking about random things when all of a sudden, Jack ducked down and saw us together. He gasped harshly before running to the back.

"Aww, come on Jack," I said going over Alex so I could go look for Jack but he was now busy playing.

"Ha! Now I have your bunk completely," Alex said sticking his tongue out at me.

"Put your tongue back where it belongs, Gaskarth," I said jokingly.

"Where might that be?" he asked. "In your mouth?" he said answering his own question with another question.

"Smart, but I'm sure that'll only happen in your dreams," I said before running to the back.

He mumbled something inaudible but I was too preoccupied to care. I took my earphones and turned the iPod part of my iPhone off. I placed everything in my pocket before sitting in the booth with Zack who was currently strumming away to one of their songs. Jack got me addicted to his band as the days passed so that I could sing along to their songs. I thought it was stupid at first but then contemplated on it some more until I finally realized that it was kinda smart of him.

I started singing along to Dear Maria.

"_When the lights go off__  
__I wanna watch the way you__  
__Take the stage by storm__  
__The way you wrap those boys around your finger__  
__Go on and play the leader__  
__'Cause you know it's what you're good at__  
__The low road for the fast track__  
__Make every second last___

_'Cause I got your picture__  
__I'm coming with you__  
__Dear Maria, count me in__  
__There's a story at the bottom of this bottle__  
__And I'm the pen__  
__Make it count when I'm the one__  
__Who's selling you out__  
__'Cause it feels like stealing hearts__  
__Calling your name from the crowd_" I sang with all the energy in me. Usually I sounded pretty shitty when I sang but I gotta say I sounded pretty good.

"Wow, you got a nice set of pipes there," Zack complimented and I blushed.

"Thanks," I said sheepishly and then Alex came in.

"Fine you got your revenge, I'm not crashing your bunk anymore," he said sitting next to me.

"Why the sudden change of interest?" I asked him and yawned.

"Because you're making me look bad," he said and Zack and I laughed.

"Alex you're getting kicked out of the band! Brit's taking your place!" Jack screamed from the mini living room.

"What?! That's not happening! I object!" he said all panicky.

"We're not in court, Gaskarth and Jack's right," Rian added and I laughed at Alex reaction. He seriously looked like he was about to cry,

"Don't worry, I'm not taking anyone's place," I finally took a stand but then received disappointed 'awws" from Zack, Rian and Jack. I smiled and looked up at Alex.

"Oh thank God," Alex said and I rolled my eyes and got out of the booth. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Um, I don't really know for sure," I told him.

"Sit down and here me sing," he commanded and I followed. He seemed nervous when I sat right beside him but then shook it off as Zack started the intro to Dear Maria again.

Alex sang the song in perfection and watching him sing right in front of me left me speechless. The way he sang seemed so flawless and he didn't sound off key at all. He sounded like an angel compared to me. I could never replace someone like him.

"I still vote you off and have Brit on the band," Jack and Rian said coming into the kitchen.

"Aww come on Jack, Alex sang it well," I said knowing fully well that 'well' was and understatement.

"Alex? What did you do to her? Turn her against me?" Jack gasped.

Alex looked at me weirdly and I raised an eyebrow as Alex looked back up at Jack and nodded smugly.

"Oh you are so on, Gaskank!" He said narrowing his eyes at Alex.

"Bring it, Jackass," Alex said getting up, not giving Jack the height advantage.

They looked like they were about to really brawl. I was going to stop them but Zack held me down with my arm. Jack was about to hit him. I shut my eyes not wanting to see it. Zack shook me and I opened my eyes just in time to see them get into a Rock, Paper, and Scissors war.

I laughed at how stupid they were being and then my phone buzzed in my pocket. Zack let go of my hand as I reached into my pocket and saw Chris's name flashing on the screen. My smile turned once again into a frown and Jack was now celebrating as he won the war. I read the message this time, curious to know why he was texting me but I should never have done that because tears started brimming in my eyes. Jack saw this and grabbed my phone from me.

"We'll need to get you a new number," he said trying to comfort me.

I blinked back tears as I nodded sullenly. They all left us alone seeing that it was somewhat private but I really didn't mind them being in here right now.

"It's all gonna be okay," Jack whispered in my ear and I believed him. I believed the words he said knowing that they were true.

But were they really?


	12. Chapter 12

The last time I remember doing was sitting right beside Jack on the couch and watching a movie. I was leaning on his shoulder and his arm safely around me. My eyes started to get really heavy and then the next thing I knew was that I was asleep. But it didn't seem like a really long time until my eyes fluttered as I felt the bus stop. We were probably in the venue already.

"Oh, so now that the movie's over, you get up?" Jack said as I watched the screen in front of me. It showed a black screen with the credits rolling.

I turned to him and gave him one of the biggest grins I could put out. "Sorry," I apologized and he rolled his eyes before pulling me into a hug. "I think I fall asleep because it's really comforting when I lay next to you,"

"Hmm, it's really hard to think of something that can get me furiously angry with you," he said playfully as I nudged him on the shoulder once I pulled away.

"So you want to find fault in me so you can get mad? You're such an ass," I said getting up.

"I was just kidding!" Jack panicked and hugged me from behind.

"Hey guys, it's time to go and meet people," Alex said as soon as we made our way down the hallway of the bus.

Jack let go of me and kissed me on the cheek. I felt heat rush in the place where he kissed me and suddenly there were these odd feelings but it wasn't long until I got to push them away. He winked at me before heading out of the bus. Rian and Zack were already outside and I was the only one on board.

I grabbed my camera and ran down to catch up with them. They were on their way to Hurley stage for sound check and I was getting excited.

There were a lot of people on the grounds near the merch stands and a lot of bands were out for meet and greets and signing. It's weird that they were out here before the shows started but hey, who was I to tell them what to and what not to do?

I made my way through to the front of the stage passing a lot of screaming fans who were about ready to see All Time Low rock the stage.

I snapped pictures of the guys who gave the silliest faces as they faced the camera. I laughed at some of the pictures I took and then moved to look for other subjects. It wasn't as if they weren't interesting enough to photograph, it's just that there were so many famous people here and I was just really excited I mean it is the first day and all but I really do want to meet everyone.

I was on my way to go see Cobra Starship and maybe make new friends but someone held me back from behind. I spun around to see who it was and almost fainted when I saw who it was exactly.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked shrugging Chris' arm off. "Are you stalking me because seriously, all this 'showing-up-out-of-nowhere' and texting me out of the blue and telling me that you miss me is totally freaking me out." I said and he looked like at me like I went crazy.

"Um, I'm here because I'm opening for one of the bands on this tour and I just wanted to say hi," he said totally shutting me up.

I was suddenly really embarrassed about my whole outburst so I looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," I said toying with the camera that was hanging on my neck.

"Hey look, its okay," he reassured me. "So I guess I'll be seeing you around?" he said with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yeah, sure," I said walking away before he could say anything more.

I didn't really like the idea that he and I would be in the same tour for like two months or so. How was I supposed to survive? I took a deep breath remembering exactly what I was supposed to do before meeting with Chris.

I didn't turn back even though I knew he was looking right at me. He always stared whenever I passed by even while we were in school which was really weird.

I was just walking to the Cobra Starship set when all of a sudden someone bumped into me. It was Gabe.

"Sorry, I wasn't really look-" he started to say but stopped to look me up and down. "Damn girl, you're hot," he said frankly and I blushed.

"Well you look pretty hot yourself," I said and he winked at me before heading backstage.

That was totally random but it was quite a big ego booster. I laughed at myself as I thought about what happened. But I immediately stopped giggling to myself when everyone started screaming in my ear. I looked up from where I was standing in the mosh pit and raising my camera up so that it wouldn't get squished. Weirdly, I found myself right in front of the stage but everyone was starting to push and it was getting really annoying.

I snapped a few pictures of the band and got solo pictures of each member. Nate was the big challenge in all of this though since he was at the very back but with the way the stage was angled, it wasn't really that hard to snap a great pic of him.

Once I finished listening to a few songs and once I was satisfied with what I snapped, I made my way to the exit. Gabe stopped singing for a while and I looked back to see that he was staring right at me. I shook my head as he regained composure. It was odd really that he stopped singing just for that but hey, I'm not complaining. It was actually quite flattering.

I went to take pictures of some of the other bands that were performing until I ran into Jack who apparently was looking for since an hour ago.

"Well you guys were practicing so I went and took pictures of other bands that were performing," I explained and Jack narrowed his eyes at me.

"You know you don't have to lie about not wanting to watch us live," he said with his arms crossed trying to play the guilt card.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Jack it's nothing like that. I wanna see you guys live it's just that your show doesn't start until 4:30." I told him. It was only 4:00 P.M. right now and we had thirty minutes until the show had to start.

"So you mean you know what time we're getting on later?" he said surprised.

"Jack, I can't not know what time you guys get on," I said laughing at his face that was filled with fake surprise. "Rian reminded me a lot while we were playing." I told him and he was satisfied with my answer.

"Well then what the hell are we still doing here?" he asked and I was going to tell him that I was going to go and take more pictures of other bands but he might take that a little too personally.

He and I walked to the set where they were going to play and I got to go backstage. I didn't really know how it looked like 'til now and all in all it was an overwhelming experience.

I watched the guys practice again and again so that they weren't going to make mistakes on stage but that wasn't really possible. I mean everybody makes mistakes but at least they're trying to practice so that they can lessen the chances of making one for their fans.

"Good luck out there you guys," I said as soon as the clock struck 4:30.

It was an afternoon show but a lot of people still showed up. I stayed at the side of the stage where people couldn't see me. I snapped pictures of the boys as they opened the show.

This angle was by far one of the coolest angles ever. I got to take more pictures due to where I was standing right now. I was definitely lucky to have Jack as one of my best friends. I never thought I'd get to know what it would feel like backstage but then again, things could be made possible if you just believe, right?

"Hey you guys, we'd really want to introduce you to one of our closest friends!" Jack screamed into the mic and everyone hollered right back at him. I stared at him wide-eyed. He was not going to do this right now.

"Yeah, and she's gonna help me sing Remembering Sunday since Juliet isn't here and Hey Monday is somewhere busy signing." Alex said into the mic and everyone cheered. My breaths started to shorten. I was feeling woozy.

Zack looked at me and laughed at what he saw. I was probably shaking terribly and I most probably looked like one hell of a mess right now. This was so not happening.

"So her name's Brittany and she's a really close friend of mine and she's really awesome in all ways possible and she was awesome enough to actually agree to sing with us," Jack said. That liar! I didn't agree to anything!

"Hey Brit, come out here, will ya?" Alex said motioning me to get out there.

I was shaking my head vigorously but Jack walked towards me and told me to place my camera on the chair that was right beside me. I did as he told me but I didn't let him drag me out on stage. He gave me a cute pout and once he saw that I was vulnerable enough, he pulled on my arm and yanked me on the stage. Everyone cheered as I smiled at the crowd.

Jack handed me his mic as I took a deep breath. He gave me a small wink and the song started to play.

Alex stared at me as he sang the words I grew to know. I started singing back-up somewhere in the chorus but I wasn't singing loudly. I didn't want to ruin his performance so I sang in a low voice.

It seemed like only seconds after Alex finished the first verse that he was already in the bridge part. I was getting antsy but I knew I had to calm down. I swallowed hard as I listened to where they were in the song and once it was my turn to show off some skill, I looked up at the crowd, no longer afraid but ready to sing to them with growing enthusiasm.

"_I'm not coming back__  
__I've done something so terrible__  
__I'm terrified to speak the truth you'd expect that from me__  
__I'm mixed up, I'll be blunt__  
__Now the rain is just washing you out of my hair__  
__And out of my mind__  
__keeping an eye on the world__  
__So many thousands of feet off the ground__  
__I'm over you now I'm not home in the clouds__  
__Towering over your hair"_

It felt great to actually sing those words out loud. It was as if I actually connected with each and every word that came out of my mouth and it was just basically and amazing experience.

Everyone screamed and shouted as the song ended. I smiled and turned around to face Alex who was giving me a big smile.

I walked off the stage and grabbed my camera before they asked me to do something else. I might not have been as scared as I was when they were introducing me to the crowd but there was no way in hell that I was going to sing on a stage like this again.

The hours felt like minutes as they ticked away. Next thing I knew, Alex was telling them that the show was over and that they were signing tomorrow and not tonight due to security and stuff like that. The crowd gave out a big 'Aww' and Alex apologized again.

"Stay tuned for our buddies from Forever The Sickest Kids, okay? They're up next!" Jack said placing everyone back in a good mood before walking off the stage.

"Brit, you were awesome!" Jack mentioned as soon as he saw me waiting for him.

"Hey, you weren't bad yourself," I said hitting him playfully on his arm which was sweating like hell.

"You know, I'd hug you right now but I'm not really sure how you'd take it," Alex said as soon as he caught up with the both of us. I smiled at him and told him that he could hug me later after her changed and took a shower.

"But thanks a lot for singing today. You totally saved our asses," he said and I began to wonder.

"Who was supposed to sing Juliet's part anyway?" I asked Alex as we reached the dressing room and sat on the leather couch.

Zack raced for the bathroom while Rian complained about him not being considerate to those who were in need of actually using the bathroom to do some serious business. I wouldn't really want to get into details of what he said because it'll only make me barf so I guess it would be better to just forget what he said forever.

"I was," Alex said bringing me back to the present and out of my thoughts.

"But we wanted you to sing it since we all thought that you were a better singer than Alex." Jack mentioned as he sat on the stool in front of the mirror with lights. "That's why I was looking for you,"

I gave out an inaudible 'ohh' as I thought about what he'd said when he found me. He definitely didn't mention the singing part.

Zack got out of the bathroom with wet hair and new clothes on as Rian rushed right in after him.

"Hey Brit, can we talk?" Zack asked me and I nodded.

I got up and walked out of the room with him to get some privacy.

"What'd you wanna talk about?" I asked him as soon as we were far enough for anyone in the band to hear.

"You don't happen to know Chris Henderson, do you?" he asked totally catching me off guard with that question. He stuck his hands in his pockets as I stared at him with fear in my eyes.

"Why do you ask?" I replied in a question.

"I don't know, one of the guys on this tour is opening fo-"

"Yeah, I know him. He's the guy Jack and I talked about while we were in the bus," I interrupted wanting to get this whole thing out of the way. "Does Jack know that he's here?"

"I don't know yet but he told me about that Chris guy and what happened with you two some time ago." Zack said rubbing a hand behind his neck as he looked at the ground.

"What exactly did he tell you?" I asked him wanting to clarify things. Zack stood up straight and looked straight into my eyes.

"He told me that he was trouble or at least we should keep you away from him. He told us that he was an ex of yours or something and that he was bothering you a lot or something," he said.

"Wait when did he tell you this?" I asked him.

"He told us somewhere in the middle of last week," Zack said and I looked around to see if Chris was anywhere in sight. I didn't want to have him eavesdropping on our conversation.

"Okay…" I trailed off not knowing what to say. "What made you drag me all the way out here?"

"I know he's here and I just wanted to know if you knew," he said and I breathed out heavily.

"He came up to me a while back before the Cobra set started," I told Zack and he nodded.

"Well if ever he bothers you or anything, you know where to find me," he said patting me on the shoulder before greeting some people he knew.

He introduced me to those people but my mind just wasn't in it. I might have to ask for their names again later in the tour.

Chris Henderson. Why do you have to pop right back up in my life when things were finally looking up? I didn't want to have my past lingering around while I was out trying to have the time of my life with friends that I just met during the summer. I can't believe he actually has nerve to come up to me. But he was just being friendly, right? Well maybe he changed or something. He might have messed me up but everyone deserves a second chance, right?

Well all I can really say is that things were looking up until he walked back into my life.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, Brit, you down with the BBQ party tonight?" some guy Zack introduced me to asked me shooing all my senseless thoughts away.

"Oh, um, yeah sure," I said with a smile.

"Awesome," One guy said. "Everyone's gonna be there and it's gonna be so much fun," he was more than excited to say the least.

"Okay so we'll catch you guys later?" Zack said before the conversation ended up in an awkward silence.

They all mumbled their 'yes' and then we turned the other way towards the buses. We didn't really talk much since there wasn't much to talk about. Once we got to the bus, I saw Jack and Alex at the mini living room at the back of the bus. I didn't really feel like playing or watching them play so I walked to my bunk and turned on my laptop so that I could screen all my pictures.

Once I connected my camera to the laptop, a window opened and it showed everything I took pictures of today. It wasn't much really but I didn't have anything to do so I just edited some of them.

"Scoot over, will ya?" Jack said getting inside my bunk.

I moved over to the side so that there was enough space for him to sit beside me. "I thought you were playing and having fun with Alex." I said still keeping my eyes on the screen as I increased the contrast on one photo.

"It's not fun when you win all the time. I mean I'd want to play with someone who'd make me play with more effort." He said boastfully as I smirked.

"Hey! I heard that!" Alex called from the back of the bus.

"Good! I said it loudly so that you could hear!" Jack yelled back. I laughed at the argument they were getting into as I saved the changes I made to some of the pictures. "You're really good," Jack said looking at the screen.

"Shut up," I said rolling my eyes and shaking my head. "They're not that good," I told him and he poked me in the rib.

"Don't say that," he said as I rubbed my side. His poke actually hurt.

"Whatever," I said shutting my laptop and keeping everything away.

"I'm serious, Brit." He told me acutely. "I mean it,"

I looked at him and soon our faces were only centimetres away from each other. I held my breath and he closed his eyes as he leaned in for a kiss. I shut my eyes and expected our lips to touch again so I could feel that spark that I was longing for when suddenly, I heard a loud thud.

"What the fuck, man?!" Jack exclaimed as I opened my eyes and regained composure.

Alex was laughing at Jack who was on the floor. I bit my lip in so much embarrassment as I walked past them and into the bathroom to get ready for the barbeque.

Well this is stupid, I'm in the bathroom and I was going to get ready but all my necessities are out there in my bag under my bunk. I was about to walk right back out when I heard Alex and Jack talking. I turned on the faucet so that they wouldn't notice anything weird.

"Dude, you totally ruined the moment," Jack scolded as he stomped his way into the back of the bus.

"Jack, don't lie to yourself. You're clearly not ready yet." Alex said knowingly.

"How would you know that?" Jack asked in aggravation.

"With the way you look at her," Alex started, "it would seem like you wanted to kiss her not because you liked her but because you just wanted to get into her pants." He continued and my eyes opened up wide in shock.

"Shut up," Jack said and I could just imagine him throwing his arms up in frustration. "You don't know that," he said but something in his voice said otherwise.

"Whatever you say," Alex said walking away.

The bus went quiet for a while as I turned off the faucet. Something in me wanted to just break down there knowing that Jack might not ever be able to look at me with love in his eyes but another part of me was thankful that Alex pulled him out of my bunk. I didn't want to commit to anything that was going to end up into something that was going to hurt me in the end. I didn't need the drama. It was so not my scene.

I got out of the bathroom hoping he didn't think I was eavesdropping and grabbed an outfit that I thought would fit the BBQ. I didn't really go overboard with everything. I didn't have to impress anyone so I might as well dress casually. And casually would mean a white camisole with a plaid button up over it, denim shorts and a pair of Converse.

"Hey, did you hear anything while you were in the bathroom?" Jack asked coming up to me sitting on my bunk so that our eyes met.

"Nope," I lied as I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Why? Was I supposed to?" I just hoped he didn't see right through me.

"N-no," he stumbled. "Um, are you wearing that to the barbeque tonight?" he asked me as he changed the subject.

"Yeah," I said with a smile as I got up. "Is there something wrong with I'm going to wear?" I asked him and he shook his head vigorously not wanting to argue.

"No, I think it will look perfect on you," he told me with a gloomy vibe in his tone and I smirked.

"Thanks," I said. "Jack is there something you wanted to tell me?" I asked him.

"Oh, um, yeah but never mind," he said looking anywhere else but in my eyes. "Um, I'll, uh, go ahead and catch up with some, uh, friends, okay?" he said somewhat nervously. I nodded my head slowly as he ran straight out the bus.

I didn't really understand why he acted that way and I was sure he was hiding something but I knew that there really was no way I could get it out of him so instead of thinking about it, I walked into the bathroom and started changing for the barbeque that was going to start probably an hour from now.

It didn't really take that long for me to change into the clothes I picked out so I was actually prepared within minutes. I let the curls in my hair hang naturally down my shoulders as I walked over to put a little perfume on me. I might not be impressing anyone but I always made sure I smelled good even if I was just hanging out with some friends.

I walked out of the bus with my phone in hand as I checked it for probably the first time today. I wasn't really expecting anything and fortunately enough, that's what I got. I placed my phone back in my pocket and noticed that the grounds were starting to get emptier. I walked over to Rian who was talking to Cobra and asked him where Jack was.

"Oh, um, I don't really know, Brit." He told me leaning against Cobra's bus.

"Oooh, who's this fine lady?" Vicky asked Rian and I smiled brightly.

"This is Brittany. She's supposed to be here to photograph us but she's doing more than that now I guess," Rian introduced and I smirked.

"Hmm, I think we'll be the best of friends then," Vicky said placing her arm around my shoulders.

"Sounds awesome," I said and she pinched my cheek as she placed her arms back on her sides.

"Brit, I know you might already know these people but let's just formally introduce each other, okay?" Rian suggested as I laughed. "The girl who placed an arm around your shoulder is Victoria but we all her call her Vicky, the one right in front of you is Ryland and the one beside him is Alex but we call him Suarez so that no one will confuse him with Gaskarth. Nate already left since he was really hungry." He informed me and I nodded.

"I'm Brittany," I said with my hand held out and they all shook it one by one.

We started conversing about the most random things and made the time go by faster. All of a sudden, someone came out from the bus before us.

"Girl, are you stalking me?" Gabe said and I scoffed.

"No," I said rolling my eyes as Vicky raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm here because I have new friends," I informed him and they all laughed.

"I see," Gabe said, "well, I never really got your name,"

"Are you asking for it?" I asked the obvious as I toyed with him.

"Are you going to give it to me?" he countered as he played along.

"I might," I said prolonging his agony.

"So what's your name, senorita?" he asked showing off some of his Spanglish charm.

"Brittany," I told him sweetly and showed him the best smile I could give.

"Wow, a pretty name for a pretty girl," he said making Vicky snort.

"Thank you," I said rolling my eyes as I continued our conversation with Vicky.

We started talking about how I ended up with the guys of All Time Low and I told her about Jack and how he became my new neighbor. We were stuck on that subject for a while because she was whining about how lucky I was to have him live right next to me. I laughed at her reaction but knew that what she had said was true. I was pretty lucky to have him live right next door.

"Brittany!" Alex called in a sing-song voice from one end of the grounds. Everyone looked his way and then waltzed right back into their conversation as if nothing happened.

"What's up?" I asked him as soon as he was near enough to hear me.

"Come with me," he said taking me by the hand and dragging me to a certain direction. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my new friends but we were all going to be at the barbeque so I guess it would seem sorta pointless.

"Alex, where are you taking me?" I asked him as he continued to drag me.

"I'm bringing you to a secret dungeon where I'm going to rip your guts out and eat them raw like sushi for dinner," he said and finished it off with an evil laugh. I shook my head and waited until we stopped walking because I knew he wasn't going to give me a serious answer.

We ended up walking right to where the barbeque was. It was right between the buses of The Maine and Forever The Sickest Kids. I walked right up to Jack as soon as I saw him. He was just about to munch on a burger when he saw me walk towards him.

"Hey, you want anything?" he asked me as he grabbed the burger from his plate and took a big bite.

"I'll get something later," I told him as I watched him chew his food messily. Alex started talking to some other people that were already there so I guess maybe Jack asked him to look for me? I don't really know.

"Okay, cool, let's go sit down," he said spitting out some bread crumbs but luckily nothing landed on me. Or at least that's what I thought.

The space in between buses was filled with tables and chairs. We took an empty table and I got a soda on the way.

"So…?" he said after taking another bite and swallowing. He as looking for something to start a conversation and luckily, I had something in mind.

"Oh, I just met the people from Cobra Starship," I told him excitedly and he smiled that cute smile that looked good on him. Well 'good' is an understatement but I couldn't find the right words that could fit the description well so let's just leave it at that.

"Cool," he said observing me as he narrowed his eyebrows. "Gabe hit on you, didn't he?" he asked making me laugh.

"I'm not really sure," I said sipping my soda.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked me taking another bite. This boy was definitely hungry and he looked like he was enjoying his meal.

"Well it seemed like he did but I don't know. Maybe he was just being nice," I said not really thinking about what I was saying because Jack had that kind of effect on me. He made me think that everything was okay and I didn't have to think about anything that much as long as I was with him because nothing else really mattered as much.

"That's nice," he said. "But maybe if you continue making more friends, you wouldn't want to spend time with me anymore," Jack said pouting as he swallowed another bite.

"Don't say that," I told him casually sipping my soda. "I'm always going to want to spend time with you," I told him and he smiled from ear to ear.

"Really?" he said wiggling his eyebrows and making me laugh.

"Yes, Jack," I said after composing myself. "You'll always be the one I'd want to spend my time with," I said and then wished I never said it because it sounded so serious and not friend-like. God, I hope he didn't get the wrong idea. All of a sudden, I felt conscious about myself. Jack smiled sheepishly but I swear I saw his cheeks go red.

"Well, I could say the same for you," he said devouring the last of his burger and I smiled at him.

The place was starting to get filled up so Jack and I got up and he got another burger from the grill while I got my first. He brought a beer along with him as we walked back to our table.

I started eating my burger as he started munching on his second.

"Wow, this is really good," I told him with my mouth full. Like I said, nothing else mattered so everything was pushed aside just like my table manners.

"I know," he said drinking his beer. "They're really addicting. One day when I grow really old, I'll be eating these burgers every single day of my life and never get tired of it because they taste so damn good," he told me making me laugh.

"Don't you think that would be bad for your health?" I asked him and he rolled his eyes at me.

"That's why I'll have you to take care of me," he said and that sorta made me blush but luckily he couldn't see since it was getting darker. Did he really mean it like I thought he did or was he just saying that to be nice?

"Yeah? Then who'll be taking care of me?" I asked making him stop and think.

"Maybe we'll have to take turns then," he said making me laugh even more. Silly, silly boy.

"What? It could happen," he stated and I just shook my head at him.

"Yeah, I guess it could," I said bringing silence into our table. We just ate in silence but it wasn't awkward or anything. It felt comfortable and it seemed like it was something I grew familiar to. I guess this is what I get for spending too much time with him.

I thought about what he said and pictured us growing old together. But I couldn't see us as some kind of couple or anything like that. It was something right along the lines of being just friends. It disappointed me that not even my thoughts could picture us as a couple but I guess only time can tell, really.

Jack excused himself and told me that he was going to the bathroom. I was just about to get a bottle of water when suddenly, I ran into Chris.

"Oh, hey Brit," he started. "I didn't really expect to see you here,"

"Well I sorta thought otherwise," I said grabbing the bottle of water I came here for.

"What do you mean?" Man, was he slow.

"Well everyone was coming so yeah, I did actually expect to run into you at some point," I said bluntly as he nodded.

"So you and Barakat, huh?" he said changing the subject as he grabbed a bottle of beer for himself.

"We're just friends, Chris," I told him and he nodded again.

"Oh cool," he said with some kind of hope in his tone.

"Anyway, I have to go," I told him and walked away from him but this time, he didn't just let me walk away.

"You look really beautiful tonight," he told me making me stop in my tracks and turn back at him.

"Thanks," I said feeling awkward before walking back towards my table.

I looked back and saw him still staring at me as he took a big drink from his beer. Something told me that something bad was about to happen tonight but I didn't want to dwell on that subject but once I got to the table, I saw Jack already there with a look on his face that was anything but happy.

"What'd he want?" he queried as soon as I sat down.

"Nothing," I told him and he sighed heavily.

"I didn't think he'd actually be here," he told me and I just shook my head.

"Don't worry about him, Jack. He's not your problem," I told him twisting the cap off of the bottle of water I grabbed from the cooler filled with drinks and drank its content.

"I hope he won't become my problem," he said with all the bitterness his voice could muster.

I just stared at him and prayed hard that this night wouldn't be filled with any kind of drama. I didn't want this day to end up just like a TV episode.


	14. Chapter 14

"Why's he coming over here?" Jack asked and that question alarmed me. We spent practically the whole night in a drinking game. The rest of All Time Low and a couple more people from other bands were here with us too so it was a big party. We had at least three tables placed together so that more people could join in.

I turned around just to see Chris coming towards us slowly with a genuine smile on his face. "Maybe he wants to join in..?" I trailed off making my statement seem like a question.

"Dude, chill, maybe he just wants to play," Nick Santino – the lead singer of A Rocket to the Moon – said.

The guys all exchanged looks and thought that maybe he meant no harm. Hopefully they were right.

"Hey guys, got room for one more?" Chris asked placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and tried to shrug off the hand on my shoulder but he kept it there.

Okay, so you can get some kind of visual, here's the seat plan. We had some kind of like picnic table going so everyone was spread out. I was sitting at the very left but we were in the middle. Nick sat beside me and Jack was in front of me. Alex sat beside Nick; Gabe beside Alex; Zack sat beside Jack; Rian beside Zack. Vicky sat on my left side but she's been AWOL for the last ten minutes. I think she's been puking her guts out but I don't really know.

Ryland, Suarez and Nate were playing beer pong with the boys from The Maine while FTSK, the rest of ARTMM and some people I didn't know were jamming on one side of the place. It was all fun and games tonight and we all didn't care about being another day to wake up early.

"Uh yeah, sure," Nick said scooting over to make room. God, why did he do that?

Jack was looking down. I wanted to know what he was thinking but he just kept his head down. He most probably wanted to scream at Chris for having the nerve to actually sit with us but gladly, that didn't happen.

I sighed as he placed both his hands on the table. Shot glasses were refilled and everyone took the shot. This was more or less my fourth shot of Tequila but I was still in definite control. I've started drinking since I was fifteen but it was always during an occasion with the family. Well it wasn't as if they'd hand it to me. I had to sneak some while they weren't looking. Stephen caught me once but he didn't really mind since he was doing the same thing but the first time he saw me do it, he immediately told my parents and got me grounded. He said he did it because the first time he tried sneaking in the kitchen to get something to drink, my parents caught him and gave him a long talk about what alcohol can do and said that it wasn't fair if I didn't go through the same thing. I know it's stupid, right?

Once all the shots were downed, everyone screamed 'Ohh!' The newcomers didn't know that so we had to dare them to do something.

"Who's giving Chris a dare?" Alex asked with a big smile on his lips.

Just then Victoria came back and took her shot and said 'Ohh!' It was weird when you did it alone that's why I hardly went to the bathroom. We all laughed but knew that we still needed a dare for Chris.

John O'Callaghan came by our table and Nick asked him for a dare.

"Oh! I know!" he said and we all turned to look at him. "Turn to the person to your left and give them a sample of your best sick way to pick up," he said and everyone started laughing. Chris was laughing too. Oh joy, why didn't I find this amusing at all?

I looked back at Jack and placed and gave him a smile as Chris turned to me. Zack seemed to tense up a little but I knew this was going to be harmless. Knowing Chris, he didn't know how to actually seduce someone.

I stared down at my shot glass and waited for him to complete his dare. He came up close and started.

"Last night I had a dream," he started. See with the way it started, you'd know it was harmless. "I had a dream that I had you in my room and on my bed. You were right there wearing some sexy lingerie and you were just begging me to take it all off with my mouth so I did as you asked and saw that tight wet pussy that wanted this long hard dick to get inside of it. You grabbed me on top of you and I rode on you hard like a wild animal and you were screaming my name so loud as you begged me for more. I touched you in places you never imagined these sexy hands could dwell in and you just kept moaning in pleasure as I kissed you up and down. We had a wild, crazy and sexy night. But you know, this could happen in real life if you come home with me tonight," he said smirking at the end as I snorted and rolled my eyes.

Everyone laughed at my reaction and I looked up at Jack who wasn't amused at all. Zack tried to lighten up but failed miserably. I was starting to get the feeling that these three would be starting a brawl any time soon but Chris was too into the conversation he and John had to notice that the people around him were actually waiting to pounce on him.

Truthfully, I thought that his sample was the most disgusting thing anyone has ever said to me and if I were some totally random stranger and he tried to pick me up at the bar using those same words, I'd totally slap him right across the face and spill my drink on him.

I was staring intently at the table as I talked to Vicky who asked me if I was alright. I told her I was fine and that what he said was lame and that it didn't affect me in any sort of way. I said it convincingly so she wouldn't have to ask for reassurance but she did anyway.

John and Chris soon walked away from the table and then it was back to the original group.

"That was awkward," I heard Rian say.

My head perked up as I smiled at him in agreement.

"What he said was sick, man," Nick told me and I shook my head. This was usually what I did when I tried to hide my emotions. My throat completely shut down so that they couldn't tell that I was lying or that I wanted to break down right then.

"Are you okay, Señorita?" Gabe slurred getting up and rushing over to me. He moved Nick to the side and sat beside me and leaned on my shoulder.

"Gabe, I think you're wasted," I said laughing and they all stared at me with weird looks on their faces. "What?" I asked them and they wore worried looks.

"Dude, aren't you going to do anything about what he said?" Vicky asked me.

"It was a dare," I stated. "What else was he supposed to do?" I wondered why I was the only one who actually understood the situation right now but was what he said really extreme?

"Well you should've stopped him," Jack said finally speaking up. He wasn't happy. But the again, why would he be? He never liked Chris and this just made the situation worse.

I stayed silent and sighed. Happy moment was now gone and I was buried in so much deep thought as I replayed everything he said in my head. It was clear as day that he was just joking but I wasn't looking at him while he spoke to me. Maybe they saw something I didn't.

"I'm gonna go head to the bathroom for awhile," I told them and moved Gabe's head away from my shoulder gently. He was already asleep. I wonder how they were going to get him on to the bus.

I walked towards All Time Low's bus and went into the bathroom as soon as I got in. I did my business and then flushed the toilet. I washed my hands with liquid soap from the dispenser and went out of the bus.

Once I shut the door, I turned around and was going to start walking when all of a sudden; Chris appeared right in front of me.

"Holy fuck, you totally scared the shit out of me," I said and he laughed.

"Hey look, I'm sorry about that thing I did earlier," he said and I leaned against the bus door not wanting to get any closer to him but he made that impossible by placing his hand against the bus door and leaning against it.

It was starting to get a little uncomfortable for me. I kept my hands behind me and clenched them into fists. I had to do something but I just didn't know what to do.

"Oh, um, its okay, I mean it was a dare," I said biting my lip and he showed me this really sincere smile.

"Yeah, I know but I think it was too much," he said closing in on me so that we were only centimeters apart. "But then again, I could show you how I really pick someone up at a club if you want," he said and I swallowed hard.

He was just about to place his lips on mine and I was about to push him away when all of a sudden, someone came up behind Chris.

"Back the fuck off her,"


	15. Chapter 15

Zack took a step back waiting to strike a punch but I pushed him away. Damn was he hard all over.

"Chris I think you need to go," I said but I was facing Zack and looking up at him with fear in my eyes. I didn't want to destroy any relationships by reconnecting with him. I haven't even made friends with him yet and here's Zack ready to beat the shit out of him.

Chris didn't move or say anything so I turned around and watched as he and Zack had a glare-off. This was intense. I huffed as I stayed right in between them. Neither of them broke the stare so I to break the ice. I turned fully to Chris and made him look at me.

"Look Chris, I meant what I said when I told you to stay away from me. Reconnecting with you will only mean trouble for you. You don't want that and neither do I so I think it would be best if we never spoke to each other again." This wasn't me speaking just so you know. It was the alcohol in my system.

"But Brit-"

"Chris I'm serious. You'll find some other girl out there. I mean you're in a band and I'm sure girls will be throwing themselves at you so you don't have anything to worry about," I told him. I can't believe I was actually trying to boost his ego. I was being nice. This was bad.

"You just don't get it, do you?" he asked me angrily. Zack started to take a step towards him but I blocked his way. His chin rested on my head as I tried to push him back.

"What do you mean?" I asked turning my attention back to him but Zack was being really stubborn. "Zack, stop moving," I whispered to him as I waited for Chris's explanation.

"You're the only one I want Brit. You know that," he said and Zack snorted. Chris sent him a glare but I doubt Zack was scared.

"Chris, stop lying to yourself," I told him as I thought about what he said. Seriously? When did he figure that out? When he was fucking every single girl in school? Oh wait, that never happened.

"I'm not!" he said in an aggravated tone.

"Hey you better watch your tone with her," Zack said being overprotective. I elbowed him in the stomach but I doubt that hurt him. He had his abs to protect him.

"This doesn't concern you," Chris said aggressively. This was definitely the 'Oh shit' moment that was bound to happen but didn't in the table and what's worse was that when I looked behind Zack, Jack got up from the table and walked our way.

Should I start popping some popcorn or grab a chair? No way in hell was I going to let this happen. But just when I was about to stop it all, Zack pushed me to the left and I almost tripped but luckily the bus was there for support.

Zack sent him a big blow to the face and Chris's lip started bleeding. He spat blood on the side as he got back in the game and tried to pound on Zack I was about to get into it just to stop it – why the hell would I get in there to go all violent? – but Alex held me back.

Jack arrived at the scene and soon a crowd circled Zack and Chris. Alex pulled me away from everything no matter how much I fought to get out of his grip.

"Don't worry Brit, Zack won't kill the guy," he joked but I just looked at him as if he was the most cold-hearted man out there.

"Alex, they're practically out there to hurt each other and you're telling me not to worry?" I scolded as he set me down behind the bus.

"Seriously we planned this out-"

"Alex, you need to stop this. If you won't, I will," I said running back to where the circle was.

They were all chanting and encouraging them to actually beat each other to death. This was wrong in so many ways. I tried to squeeze into the crowd but no one gave way. Luckily, a security guard came over and halted everything by blowing hard on his whistle.

"Break it up, break it up!" he yelled and everyone gave way. "Someone call a paramedic. It seems this man over here needs it – badly." He said placing Chris's arm over his shoulder and bringing him to the first-aid tent.

Everyone cheered for Zack as soon as he came out with nothing but bleeding knuckles. Guys got him buckets of ice to soak his hands in them. I couldn't take all of this anymore and I didn't really feel like partying with anyone anymore so I just grabbed a bottle of vodka and walked to the bus cold and alone.

Maybe I was supposed to be happy because Zack beat the shit out of the guy that left me for some slut and never spoke to me the whole year last year but it was my problem, not his. I was supposed to be the one who would deal with it. This all just seemed so wrong.

I walked to the couch of the bus and turned on the TV and placed a random movie in the DVD player. I sat back on the couch and twisted the cap of the bottle of vodka I had open. I started drinking its contents waiting for that familiar burn to wash over my throat. I never really understood why I liked that feeling but it was sorta comforting for me when I was down about something. But in this situation, 'down' was an understatement.

These mixed emotions were starting to mess with my thoughts and suddenly, I just didn't want to think about these things anymore. So I turned to my bottle of vodka and drank more than half of it in 3 gulps. This wasn't something new for me. My mom was a total pain in the ass sometimes and I knew exactly where they kept their alcohol so I'd just grab a bottle and then keep it in the cabinet under my sink in the bathroom so no one would know what I did.

I wasn't paying attention to the movie anymore as I consumed the whole bottle. I felt woozy and the room was spinning but I felt high and the party was only heating up outside. Music started blaring and I stumbled out of the bus and made my way to where the music was coming from.

I saw Vicky who was prowling around the cooler filled with drinks trying to find a bottle of something that contained alcohol probably. I walked slowly towards her and watched as she grabbed a beer and opened it with a bottle opener.

"Hey guuuurl," I slurred as I leaned on the table for support. I was losing my balance but I was sorta aware of my surroundings. At least that's what it felt like.

"Oooh, someone's back for more," she slurred in the same way I did and we laughed at how silly we both sounded.

"I wanna dance!" I said grabbing her hand and bringing her to where everyone was dancing. She hooted and we started dancing to the beat.

The vodka brought up so much of my confidence and I didn't care about all the people who were staring at me because frankly, I didn't care.

"May I have this dance?" Jack asked as a slow song played. Vicky wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at me as I stuck my tongue out to her. "Girl, I think Gabe's not the only one wasted here," he laughed as we swayed to the slow beat of the song.

"Shut up, I can hold my alcohol better than he ever can," I said getting cocky. I wasn't used to bragging but alcohol can bring the opposite side of me and it felt good. It felt real good.

"Sure you can," he said in disbelief.

"I downed a whole bottle of vodka in the bus in 15 minutes," I whispered into his ear. "So I think I can control myself better," I said with a laugh as I buried my face into his chest and he held me close.

"Fine, I take back what I said," he mentioned in surprise. I laughed at him and then a faster song started and then we were on each other grinding the song away.

All these feelings started to rush over me and there was this part of him that wanted to just undress him out here and do him on the floor and not care but I still had some kind of sanity in me telling me that I would really regret it so I decided that it would be better to do it in the bus since it was more proper.

Once I turned back to face him, I started whispering in his ear just how much I wanted him.

"Brit, I don't think-" he started but I crashed my lips on his aggressively and changed his mind. I knew he wanted to take it slow but I wanted him. No wait, scratch that, I needed him.

I pushed us to the direction of the bus but grabbed another bottle of vodka before fully getting on the bus. We were just making out in my bunk since Jack wasn't drunk yet. So when he gasped for air, I opened the bottle and drank its contents and took my shoes off.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there," he said taking the bottle away from me.

"Oh come on, don't be a party pooper!" I said loudly. He shook his head at me as he downed a really big amount. I smiled evilly as he set the bottle on the floor and kissed me with more confidence.

It was getting really warm in the bus so I started to shed off my plaid button up. Jack watched me as I revealed the white camisole hidden underneath. His big smile turned into a disappointing smile and I laughed at his reaction as I grabbed the vodka from the floor but Jack took it away from me and drank more.

"You wear too much clothing," he slurred and I just responded by kissing him aggressively. He fell back into my bunk but he turned us around so that he was on top of me.

Suddenly he stopped and ran out of the bunk. Please tell me he wasn't freaking out on me.

"Jack where the fuck are you going?" I asked putting my bare feet on the floor of the bus and leaned my head outside so I can see what he was doing. I got up and grabbed the bottle from him and finished more than half of it.

"I'm looking for a condom!" he yelled looking into one drawer and his eyes opened wide as if he just found a chest filled with treasure.

I laughed at him and ran back to my bunk and closed the curtain. He ran after me but stopped after a few strides before opening the curtain. He was stripped down to his boxers and the wrapper of the condom was on the floor. That was quick.

He got on top of me and trailed kisses from my neck to my lips and let out a soft moan and watched as he played with the hem of my camisole. He took his lips off of me as I threw the piece of clothing off of me and to a random corner of the bus. We switched positions so now I was on top. I still had my shorts on so there was no contact but he had a hard on.

I grinded on him to tease him and he stopped obviously because of the pleasure he felt and I kissed his torso and led up to his neck and then to the side of his lips. He reconnected our lips as I tugged on the button on my shorts. My shorts came off quickly and I ended up making out with him with just my underwear.

Soon, they all came off and he placed my head on the pillow and took got on top of me. He grabbed the blanket that seemed to be too small for both of us to fit in as he took off his boxers and threw it on the ground where probably most of our clothes were. I smiled as he kissed me.

"Baby, we're gonna be doing this all night long if you don't stop turning me on," he told me in between kisses as I placed both my hands on his chest and made them slip down to where he was most hard. I bit my lip as I touched him and he moaned like a sissy girl obviously no expecting that from me.

I wrapped my legs around his torso and placed my arms around his neck as he let himself inside of me. I wasn't really big on moaning even when I was drunk. I kissed him hard as he started to rock back and forth to get things heated up. His hands rubbed up and down my sides. He didn't grope me or anything which wasn't really something that I expected but I guess it's good to know that he knows how to respect me even when we weren't ourselves.

"God, Brit stop making me want to fuck you hard!"Jack shouted as I laughed. I just grabbed his neck and kissed him. This felt right and I knew it.

We shifted into another position and didn't stop grinding on each other until about 3 in the morning. I smiled at Jack who passed out right after he got himself off of me and got my bra and underwear and rewore them. I didn't want people to see me naked in the morning if they were planning to take a peak inside the bunk.

I shook Jack up and told him to throw away the condom that held a lot of gross fluid. I wanted to just throw up right there at how gross it looked but I pushed the feeling away as soon as he got up and threw it away. I asked him to wash his hands with soap and he groaned as he did so. I handed him his boxers and he kissed me sloppily.

We got back into my bunk and I cuddled into his bare chest. He closed the curtains and placed a hand around my waist and we both slept peacefully.

This was by far the most amazing night on tour.


	16. Chapter 16

The whole time I was asleep, images from what Jack and I did replayed again and again in my head. You could say that I was dreaming of him but I don't know. It was sorta weird that I was still thinking about it when I went to sleep.

"Wakey, wakey sleeping beauties," I heard someone say before I heard loud crashing sounds.

I jumped awake and hit my head on the roof of my bunk as Jack fell on the floor out of shock. I had a major hangover and hitting my head did not make it go away.

I saw Rian, Alex and Zack laugh their asses off as I grabbed my camisole and shorts and rewore them. I opened the curtains as my head rocked to the side due to my sleepiness. Alex looked at both of us with a weird expression as he saw the condom wrapper on the floor. Oops.

I didn't want to have to deal with him with the current condition my head was feeling so I tried to get up but I tumbled over to the other side of the bus. Apparently, it was moving. I walked carefully to where the mini kitchen was and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. I walked around as I tried to look for some aspirin. Zack came in the room and leaned on the marble counter as he watched me search for some medicine that could kill this throbbing headache.

"Just so you know, we don't have any aspirin or advil," he said and I looked at him but then winced at the light that was coming from the back window.

"Why?" I asked sitting on the chair by the table giving up on my search.

"Because water usually does the trick," he said sitting beside me and clasping his hands on the table.

I drank everything from the bottle and then set it down on the table as I looked at his hands. "Does it hurt?" I asked him as I reached out and touched it.

"Not really," he said as I touched his knuckles. "Are you?" he asked me and I looked up into his eyes with deep question.

"Am I what?" I asked looking for some kind of clarification.

"Hurt about the whole thing," he said as I toyed with the empty bottle in front of me.

"I don't really know," I said softly and he scooted over closer as he placed an arm around my shoulders.

"Brit, you have to understand this from my point of view." He whispered softly to me. "You're one of my closest friends and I don't like it when people bring my friends down. I tend to protect them because I know I can. I already told you that if anything bad happened, I'd be here, right?" he asked looking at me as I nodded.

"But Zack, he wasn't your problem," I told him finally speaking my thoughts. It didn't feel right locked up in my head.

"He was, Brit," he told me in all seriousness as I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "He's been such a fucking prick to everyone on tour. He brags a lot and tells everyone that he was the best of the best. He was a really stuck up jerk and everyone – including myself – hated his guts. Last night, I beat him up not just because of how he was as a person or the way he treated you but also because everyone wanted me to. Truthfully, I thought it was a good idea myself. Maybe when he wakes up, he'll realize what kind of a jerk he is and apologize to everyone."

I was sorta taken aback. I didn't expect all this from Chris. When we were together, he wasn't like this at all. He was quite the opposite and whenever we met up with people – like some other friends we had – he was always polite. He knew how to have fun but it never really went overboard or to the point where he was being completely rude and ruthless.

"Thank you then," I said and he nodded as he got up and looked for something to eat in the fridge.

I didn't really feel like eating so I just grabbed some clothes out of my bag and went to the comfort room to change. Once I was through with that, I brushed my teeth and combed my hair that was really messed up.

I went out of the bathroom just in time to see Alex and a fully-clothed Jack coming down the small hallway and heading into the living room. Jack smiled sadly at me as he pulled me into his arms. I hugged him back tightly never wanting to let go. But he pulled away and walked to the kitchen in search for something to eat. I looked outside the bus and realized that somehow my headache vanished because it didn't hurt when the light was in my eyes. Thank you, water.

I searched my bunk for my phone and remembered that I had placed it under my pillow. I hope it wasn't damaged or anything since we were pretty wild in the bunk last night. I grabbed it and sat on my bunk as I checked the messages that I had received.

None of them were that important so I just shoved my phone into my pocket and walked over to the living room where I rejoined everyone else.

Alex and Rian were busy playing Red Dead Redemption so I just sat with Jack and Zack who were munching on some cereal.

"Want some?" Jack asked as soon as I plopped down right in front of him.

"Nope," I said looking out the back window. The other buses were following right behind us.

"You're gonna have to eat something," Zack said after swallowing a spoonful of rice crispies.

I rolled my eyes and got up as I looked for something I wanted to eat. I heard someone get up from their chair and walk over to the living room. I was too busy to turn around and see who it was. I settled with a peanut butter sandwich. I was about to walk back to the table when suddenly, I felt two hands on my waist. I spun around, sandwich in hand, as I saw Jack with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him as I took a bite of my sandwich. I held it up to his mouth and he took a bite.

"This is really good," he said with his mouth full. I laughed as I took another bite.

"You didn't answer my question," I said and he dropped the smile that was about to erupt onto his lips and thought about what he was going to say.

"Alex thinks that what we did last night was a bad idea," he whispered into my ears so that no one else could hear what we were talking about.

"So?" I said walking towards the refrigerator to grab another bottle of water. Jack sat on the counter and I walked back to him just in time to hear him heave a heavy sigh.

"I don't know, it's just that I've always trusted him with these things and he thinks that things that everything that happened between us happened too fast," he said and I looked over to where the guys were. They were shouting and hollering at each other as they played the game.

Alex glanced at me with a smile plastered on his face but I didn't really feel like returning it so I just looked away from him and reverted my focus to Jack who was looking down at the ground.

"So what you're tryna say is that he thinks that I'll just end up hurting you?" I asked in so much bitterness. I didn't want to have an argument with him right now. I sighed as I walked closer to him and taking the last bite of my sandwich. I rested my forearms on his lap as I drank some of the water in the bottle I got from the fridge.

Jack kept silent all the time but jumped a little when my forearms touched his lap. I looked up at him and he looked down at me.

"Don't look at it that way," he said placing a hand on my upper arm and rubbing incoherent shapes on it. His touch sent shivers down my spine. I didn't know why but he just had that effect on me.

"Then how am I supposed to look at it?" I asked him softly and looked down at the ground.

He sighed and shrugged. He didn't know how to answer me and I just didn't want to think about this anymore. Why does Alex have to give a shit about what we do? I mean I know that he's just looking out for his friend but can't he be a little considerate? I mean we were on the verge of falling for each other or maybe we already have but he just had to come and ruin the fun.

I gave Jack a quick peck on the cheek and left him in the kitchen. The bus had come to a stop and I needed some air.

I walked outside the bus and leaned against it as I breathed in and out deeply. I wanted to cry badly but I didn't. I can't believe Alex would think about me hurting Jack. I could never do something like that.

I needed some space from them. It would be really awkward if I went back on the bus and had some alone time with them knowing what went down last night. I looked over to the side and noticed that all the other buses were already parked in place.

We were at a gas station and most of the people from the other bands raided the small convenience store. I didn't want to buy anything so I just looked for some people I knew and could talk too.

"Why hello there, Señorita," Gabe greeted as soon as he got out of his bus. I smiled at him and he walked over to pull me into a tight hug.

"Hey Gabe, can I ask you something?" I asked choosing my words carefully.

"Sure thing," he said slipping his arm over my shoulder. "What's up?"

"Um, I was just wondering if I could spend the rest of the bus ride with you guys," I told him and he looked at me with confusion written all over his face.

"Of course you can," he said happily. "But may I ask why?" he said and then we started walking slowly to the convenience store that was slowly starting to become deserted.

"Well, it's kinda awkward being in the bus right now and I feel I just need some space for a little while," I said grabbing my buzzing cellphone.

"Oh," was all he said. "Well, we'd be delighted to have you aboard Cobra S.S." he said and I laughed.

"Isn't it supposed to be S.S. Cobra?" I asked him and he shook his head as he opened the door for me.

"S.S. stands for Starship," he said and I laughed even harder. That was sorta clever.

"Whatever you say, Señor," I said and he smiled at me as he grabbed bags of chips.

"Ooh, someone's getting influenced," he teased and asked me to hold the bags as he went over to the fridge and took out a six pack. "You want anything? It's on me," he said and I smirked.

"Well, I've been craving for some root beer," I said placing all the bags of junk food he got on the counter. Gabe smiled as he grabbed two bottles of rootbeer and paid for everything. "Ooh, Papi's got a magic wallet," I joked and he nudged me to the side as he paid for everything.

We brought the bags over to the Cobra S.S. – as Gabe calls it – and everyone greeted me with hugs before they grabbed several bags of junk food.

I texted Jack telling him that I'd be with Cobra for the duration of the trip and placed it back in my pocked before he could reply. Gabe was all smiles as he handed me a bottle of root beer. I thanked him and sat on the couch at the back of the bus where Vicky was and we marathoned on Gossip Girl.


	17. Chapter 17

"Gabe, I never thought you'd be one to watch Gossip Girl," I said as he plopped down on the floor since there was no more space for him on the couch.

"I'm not a predictable guy," he said winking at me before looking back at the screen.

We sat there devouring all the junk food Gabe bought for hours. When the credits of the last episode rolled, Gabe made me scoot over so he can sit right between Vicky and me.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go take a nap." Vicky said going back to the bunks after I nodded and gave her a smile.

Once she was gone, Gabe turned in his seat and faced me fully. He placed a hand on my arm to get my attention. He waited patiently for me to answer him.

"Jack and I got drunk last night and we ended up having…" I trailed off moving my head side to side to see if he got the idea. He nodded and told me to continue. "Well, when we woke up this morning, Alex and Jack had this talk and Jack told me that Alex said that what we did last night was wrong and I'm all mad at him right now because he doesn't know how to mind his own fucking business," I said getting all heated up as I thought about how stupid he was being.

"Whoa, girl, calm down." He said with a laugh. "Look, maybe he was just tryna-"

"Wait, please don't tell me you're on Alex's side too," I said frowning slightly and he smirked.

"It's complicated, Brit." He said looking up at me as my forehead creased.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

Gabe just kept quiet for a while wishing he didn't say what he did but he couldn't take it back now.

"Gabe?" I prodded with an eyebrow raised. He seemed nervous and really tense. This got me really worried. "What are you not telling me?" I asked and he was about to get up but I reached out and pulled his arm down.

"Okay, if I tell you, will you promise me that you won't do shit about it?" he said and I looked from side to side thinking about what I might do with the information that he was going to share. "I mean you're not going to talk about it with anyone else but me," he said and I nodded.

"Yeah, sure," I said lightly and I watched as all the positive energy in Gabe washed out. Oh dear, this was something bad.

"Well, the reason why Alex is trying to slow you guys down is because…" he paused as he watched me intently.

"Because what?" I asked him eagerly.

"He likes you, Brit." Gabe said and I was about to say something but he held up one finger and urged me to listen first. "I don't mean in a friend kinda way. I mean that he really likes you and he's jealous about you and Jack."

"And I should believe all this because?" I asked sitting back on the couch looking down the hallway not wanting to meet Gabe's eyes. I crossed my arms and thought about how shallow Alex was being.

"Because Alex told me truthfully," he said and I looked at him as I sighed heavily.

I didn't know what to say. Why would he like me? He didn't even know me. It wasn't like I spent a lot of time being around him and he never showed any signs. But then again, guys hide their feelings more than girls do but I just don't understand this at all.

"Who else knows about this?" I asked him and he bit his lip as he thought. Oh God, don't tell me everyone else knows too.

"Just me," he said and a wave of relief hit me. He laughed at my reaction and I hit him on the arm.

"This is so fucked up," I mumbled into my hands as I yawned.

"Tell me about it," he said rolling his eyes and getting up. He left me to get something from the kitchen.

[JACK'S POV]

The whole time the bus was travelling to the next city, I just lay in my bunk and thought about last night and how it went down. Maybe Alex was right. Maybe our relationship went by too fast.

Who am I kidding? Since when did proper relationships ever occur to me as something planned? Since when did I grow the patience to not want to fuck a girl as gorgeous as Brittany? Since when did I want a girl to make the first move? And since when did Alex's silly advice ever matter to me like this? Maybe he was right sometimes and when I tried to listen to what he had to say, there were up sides but there were also down sides.

I've had about enough of this waiting and now, she's not even on the bus because she's probably upset about what I said – I mean what Alex said. I can't believe I even listened to him. How stupid can I get?

"Oh, Barakat!" Speak of the fucking devil.

"What do you want Gaskarth?" I asked not moving from my bunk. I just stared at the wall that divided this bunk and the next. I wasn't really planning on getting down any time soon.

"Oh, are you having your period today?" he asked as he climbed in my bunk.

"Shut the fuck up!" I said angrily. I needed to calm down but the reason why Brittany was in Cobra's bus right now was because she couldn't be here with me because of Alex. It all comes down to him. Why was he trying to rip us apart?

"Whoa, what did I do now?" he asked and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Why are you trying to rip us apart?" I asked him sitting up straighter.

"Jack, I'm not trying to break you guys apart. I'm just trying to save you from-"

"Bullshit!" I yelled throwing my arms up. "Do you think she'd hurt me? Jesus Christ! You don't even know the fucking girl! How the fuck would you know how to protect me when you don't even know what to protect me from?" I exclaimed. I was too frustrated with him to keep it cool. He looked at me with narrowed eyes. Psh, like that would scare me.

"Jack, Kristy was just like that too. She was nice at the start and we all fell in love with her and thought that she was innocent and whatever but look at what she did to you," he said as calmly as possible.

"Don't you get it? She's not Kristy! Brittany is Brittany Addison fucking Taylor and no one else!" At that moment, everything seemed silent. Zack and Rian are probably listening to our conversation but I was too far out to care.

Alex sighed and gritted his teeth together. He knew I was right and he couldn't say anything else about it. He didn't give any more comebacks, no more comments whatsoever.

"So tell me, why the fuck are you trying to break us apart?" I asked less angry but suspicion filling every single word that spilled from my mouth.

"You really wanna know?" he asked bitterly.

"What do you think?" I asked sarcastically pushing each and every button he had.

"Okay, fine, I was trying to push her away from you because I sorta like her okay?" he said.

It didn't take long for me to connect my fist to his face and make him fall out of my bunk. I got out of the small space and stepped into the hallway awaiting his strike. Zack and Rian came out to check on us and they saw Alex who now had a bleeding lip.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Zack asked looking at me and then back at Alex.

"Why don't you ask Mr. Every-Girl-I-Want-I-Get over here? I'm sure he'd love to fill you in," I spat as Alex just stayed on the ground wiping his bottom lip.

They both looked at Alex expectantly but he didn't say anything. I was about to start talking when suddenly Alex got up.

"Fine, maybe I deserved that," he said wiping the blood that continued to stream from his lip totally ignoring the conversation that Zack started. He got an ice pack from the mini fridge and a towel from the drawer and put it up to his lip. "But, you still can't ignore the fact that she might hurt you in a way." He said and I was just about to lunge at him and strike another punch but Zack and Rian held me back.

"You can't fucking say that Gaskarth! You don't fucking know her and I hope you'll never get the chance to!" I cursed at him. He looked hurt but I didn't care.

I didn't care because he deserved this.

When Kristy cheated on me – or at least when I found out – she told me that one of the guys she was with was Alex. I couldn't believe it myself but I thought that his apology was sincere. Apparently, it wasn't and he was still out there to take away the people I try to find myself falling for. This was way out of line. Even for him. I never thought that he would be someone who would turn his back on me and get with all the girls I tried to date. I never thought I'd have a friend like that. He is such a fucking dick.

I pushed away from Rian and Zack as soon as the bus stopped. I stepped out of the bus and just ran out of the venue. I couldn't be anywhere near that fucking prick.

I guess what Hayley Williams once said in Misery Business was true.

_Second chances, they don't ever matter; people never change. Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry that'll never change. _


	18. Chapter 18

[BRITTANY'S POV]

Gabe and I stopped talking about Alex and tried to look for something else to talk about but whenever we tried to talk about something else, we always ended up talking about Jack which led straight back to Alex. We were going around in circles and I couldn't do anything about it.

Once the bus stopped at the venue, Gabe and I walked out of our bus to stretch and meet the other bands who arrived and were ready to go walk around. Being in a bus for a really long time made me feel like that too.

"Hey, I'm gonna go check on the guys," I told Gabe as he nodded and walked towards the guys from The Maine.

I walked towards All Time Low's bus and got on as soon as I opened the door. I walked in the bus to find it empty. I was just about to grab my camera from my bunk when I heard the bathroom door open and close. I peered out into the hallway and saw that Alex was touching his lip bruised lip.

"Oh, I almost didn't see you there," he said as soon as he saw me staring at him.

"Um, well I just got on the bus," I can't believe he was actually acting normal about all this. Well, maybe it's because he didn't know what I knew but I don't know. Doesn't it seem a little off?

"Oh, if you're looking for Jack, he's not here." He told me and I nodded as I stared at his lip.

"What happened to you?" I asked him as I sat on my bunk and got my camera out of the bag.

"Well, Jack and I had some sort of argument and this was the outcome," he said and I looked back at him with a shocked expression.

"What did you fight about?" I asked as I got up and leaned against the border that was dividing the bunk on top from the bunk below. I toyed with my camera and set it so that I wouldn't have to keep pressing buttons before I shot pictures.

"You," he said briefly and pressed up against me in a very uncomfortable way. He leaned against the borders with his hands and stared at me intensely.

"Dude, back off," I said pushing him but he was too strong. He smirked at how weak I was and made his hands travel down my waist where it was getting pretty unpleasant and awkward. "Alex I'm serious," I said placing the camera strap around my neck as I moved his hands away from me.

"Tell me something," he said and I looked at him but still struggled to get his hands off me.

"What do you wanna know?" I asked with a heavy sigh. His grip on me wasn't one that hard but it was somewhat sturdy and hard to get out of. If there was more space in the hallway, I would've totally pushed him away but it was really tight in here.

"Why don't you feel the same way for me?" he said and I stopped struggling to look at him with an Are-you-being-serious-right-now expression.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked him playing dumb.

"Brit, I like you," he whispered into my ear giving me goosebumps. These weren't the good kind. This was actually beginning to scare me.

"You don't even know me," I told him as I pushed him off of me. This caught him off guard so he fell onto the other side and I ran for the door.

I was about to reach the door when all of a sudden he yanked me back into his arms. Was he some kind of creeper or something?

"Let me go," I said squirming as I tried to get myself away from him.

"Listen first-"

"I'm going to start screaming if you don't let me go," I threatened him. He released me and I started running not wanting to look back at him.

I needed to find Jack. I needed to see him so that I could feel alright again. I ran across the venue and searched far and wide but I didn't see him at all.

I saw Zack and Rian talking to Vinny in the merch tent so I ran up to them and asked them if they knew where Jack was.

"Brit, are you okay?" Rian asked. "You seem a little pale,"

"I'm fine," I told him. "I just need to know where Jack is," I said looking at Zack and Vinny but their faces were both blank.

"Well, he was here a while ago but he said that he needed to go for a walk." Vinny informed me. I nodded my thanks and sprinted to the gates. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and contacted Jack.

"Brit?" he said softly as he answered his phone.

"Where are you?" I asked hurriedly. I wasn't sure why I wanted to break down right now but I felt tears starting to form in my eyes.

"I can see you," he said not really answering my question.

I began looking around when suddenly; someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around and crashed into Jack's arms.

"Um, Brit," he said. "Can you maybe move your camera before it forms a hole in my stomach?" he asked and I looked down. I forgot it was even there. I moved it to the side and hugged him tightly.

I didn't speak. I just used this moment to calm myself down. I pushed back all the tears and the need to break down soon went away.

"You okay?" he asked me and I nodded and pushed away lightly.

"I just missed you," I said and he smiled down and kissed me.

"I miss you too," he said before pulling me into another comforting hug.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to bring up the scene Alex made in the bus but I guess things like that can wait. This wasn't the time to talk about that crap and besides, I didn't want to ruin this moment.

"Are you playing today?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"Shows start tomorrow," he told me and I smiled.

"You wanna go get some ice cream?" I asked and he smiled as he leaned down to kiss me.

"Why not?" he said and with that, he took my hand and got away for a while.


	19. Chapter 19

[ALEX'S POV]

"So what does she think of you now?" Gabe asked as soon as I walked by Cobra's merch tent. Apparently, they left Gabe alone to handle merch. Poor man.

"I don't know," I told him toying with some shirts they placed on the table. "I bet she's scared of me now,"

"Didn't you tell her?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well I was going to but then I didn't get the chance to." I said sitting on the monoblock chair on the side. "She threatened to scream if I didn't let her go,"

"Pussy," he teased and punched him in the stomach.

"Try being in my shoes," I told him and he rolled his eyes.

"What the hell did you do anyway? Lick her face?" he asked and I rolled my eyes at how stupid his assumption was.

"Why the fuck would I lick her face?" I asked with a laugh.

"To seduce her," he said wiggling his eyes suggestively.

"Dude that would be totally out of line," I told him. "Besides, it's all good now since the plan isn't working," I said and he nodded.

[BRITTANY'S POV]

"But I wanted a double scoop!" I whined like a little kid as Jack came back to the booth that I sat in.

We were out in a small ice cream parlor down the street. It was deserted which was good because no one would be screaming in Jack's face asking for a picture of for his signature. I didn't know why I sorta felt jealous but I was going to get used to it soon. At least I hope I would.

"I thought you wanted one!" he exclaimed and I narrowed my eyes at him as I looked into his cup. That bastard got three scoops and left me with just one.

"Scoop stealer," I said taking my cup of ice cream which had only one scoop in it.

He smiled like a mad man and put his hands up in defence. He had chocolate syrup all over his face and it looked cute. I laughed at him and he pouted at me.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked in a 5-year-old kid's voice as he crossed his arms making himself look even more adorable.

I grabbed my camera which was on the table beside me and snapped a photo before I grabbed a tissue and wiped the syrup of his face.

"You eat just like a kid," I said eating my first spoonful of ice cream.

"Speak for yourself," he said and I reached around my lips and tried to wipe it all off. He was laughing like crazy and I started to think that maybe he was just kidding. "You missed it," he said getting up and sitting right next to me.

"Where is it?" I asked grabbing a tissue paper but Jack didn't let me. Instead, he brought his fingers to my chin and kissed me.

"There all gone," he said sweetly as I tasted the chocolate from his mouth. "You taste yummy by the way,"

I laughed at him and blushed slightly. "Well so do you," I said and he smiled.

We started eating more of our ice cream and I finished before he did so I started taking loads of pictures of him trying to pose silly as he made the ice cream fall into his mouth without getting himself dirty but that was sorta inevitable seeing that he is Jack and can be a little clumsy.

"Jack if you don't start eating properly, your shirt will be filled with syrup and ice cream," I told him handing him a couple of tissues.

"All done," he said and I dipped my finger into his cup and stroke the tip of his nose. I snapped another photo.

"Let's go then," I said wiping my finger with tissue paper and getting up.

"I need to go to the little boy's room first," he said and I smiled and nodded.

I began staring at the tubs of ice cream when the bell attached to the door went off signalling that someone came in the store. I looked back to see who it was but then I wished I hadn't because Chris was there with another girl.

I turned back wishing Jack could hasten up a bit so we could leave.

"So what flavour did you want to get, Babe?" he asked the blonde girl next to him. I felt so sorry for the girl but maybe she matched him perfectly.

"I was thinking Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, but I don't know," she said. Chris was probably doing this to make me feel jealous but it wasn't working.

I've seen him waste his time with a lot of girls in school that I sorta got used to it.

"Psh, that flavour is for dumb babies," Okay, now he was just pissing me off.

_Jack where the fuck are you and what the fuck are you doing in the freaking bathroom? _I wanted to shout loudly but I knew that that wouldn't be a good thing.

I went outside and waited for Jack there since I didn't want to hear his fucking voice anymore. It just pissed me off too much. Sadly, I didn't get a good look of his face to see just how much damage Zack had done.

"Couldn't take the heat in there?" his voice rang through my ears as he stepped out alone.

"Shut the fuck up, Chris," I said calmly as I looked away from him.

"Is someone jealous?" he asked sarcastically as I rolled my eyes. I really felt sorry for this guy for being too conceited.

I slowly turned to look at him and almost gagged when I saw his face and wondered what the poor girl saw in him. I stifled my laughter but it came out as snorts. I bit my lips as I saw him narrow his eyes at me.

"Yeah, you laugh now but this isn't over yet," he said.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Finally, Jack decides to come out.

"Just leaving," he said and I rolled his eyes at his attempt to be cool.

Jack bumped into him as he walked towards me but they both just shrugged it off.

I smiled at Jack and he wore this concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked and I nodded as I laughed out loud.

"You should've seen his face," I said in between laughter as Jack joined in.

"Yeah, it was pretty banged up," he said and I nodded.

"Remind me to thank Zack when we get back to the bus," I told him and he nodded.

"What did he want from you anyway?" he asked placing all the laughing and jokes aside.

"Well, he wanted to show off his new girlfriend to me but I was hardly anywhere near jealous. I felt really sad for the girl though," I said and he placed his arm around my shoulder and I placed my own around his waist.

"I feel sorry for her too," Jack said letting the subject slide.

We walked back to the venue in silence and every thought that I tried to push aside started rushing back into my head. I didn't want to have to deal with Alex but I guess I'd have to learn how to keep a straight face.

I told Jack that I'd take a walk around the venue to go take more pictures of bands I've been dying to see. Since nobody's performing, it would be less of a hassle and more fun. He laughed at my enthusiasm but let me be. Little did he know that I actually asked because I didn't want to face the person who I didn't want to see.

The day went by sorta fast but all the things that happened today still lingered in my head. I just wish life was less complicated but we never get what we want.


	20. Chapter 20

I walked over to The Maine's bus and just hung out with the guys and had a good time. They kept me occupied for a great amount of time but I knew that I had to make my way back at some point.

We were just in the middle of playing Go Fish when John started to get all cranky with Pat.

"Dude, stop looking at my cards!" he said and we all laughed.

Pat would do anything to win and sadly that meant cheating too. "I wasn't looking at your cards! I was looking out the window," he made an excuse but John just rolled his eyes and placed his cards on the table.

"I don't wanna play anymore," he said heading into the kitchen to grab a beer.

We kept the cards and switched to a movie. The hours were passing by slowly and I was getting really impatient. Maybe it would be different with Jack in the bus. Maybe I'll be safe from Alex since I'd be talking to Jack the whole time but I still didn't want to risk it. What happens if something happens and Jack and Alex would get into another fight? I wouldn't want to ruin tour for them. As a matter of fact, I was already regretting my stay here.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Garrett asked sitting next to me on the couch.

"Nothing," I lied hoping that he wouldn't push me to answer his question but he had his eyebrow raised and Jared was secretly listening to our conversation. "Well its not like I don't want you to know it's just that I don't want to tell you because I know you'd be looking for an explanation which I don't have,"

"Tell me anyway," he said nosily. I sighed and turned my body so I was facing him fully. Jared came over and sat on the floor.

"I'm ready for the story, Granny," he said and I laughed and smacked his arm playfully.

"I am not a grandma!" I yelled and they both chuckled.

"Just spill already," Garrett said narrowing his eyes at Jared.

I told them about the whole Jack and Alex thing and how Alex secretly likes me. I told them that I was considering leaving and crap like that and they all looked at me like I was crazy. But one thing I realized was that they weren't as surprised as I was. It was like they already knew what I was going to say.

"You guys don't seem that surprised," I stated and looked at their alarmed faces.

"Of course we're surprised it's just that-"

"Knowing Alex, things like this happen a lot," Garrett said finishing off Jared's sentence. Jared nodded in agreement but I still think that there was something they were both hiding from me.

I eyed them suspiciously but they didn't break. They had their poker faces on and I just shook my head and erased the thought from my mind.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna go head back to the bus," I told them and they both pouted at me.

"Aww, why don't you just stay here?" Jared asked.

"Sorry but I left my phone in the bus and Jack might be wondering where I am," I told them and they rolled their eyes at me.

"Fine, leave us for the guy you love," Garrett joked in a serious tone as he looked away with his arms crossed against his chest.

I laughed as I hugged him. I hugged Jared next and told the others that I was going. Once all the hugs were shared, I hopped off The Maine's bus and started walking towards All Time Low's.

As I was nearing the bus, I heard people shouting from inside. Shit were they fighting again? I didn't want to get inside and watch everything so I just sat on the front step of the bus and listened closely. The door was open so it was easier to eavesdrop on the whole conversation.

"Why the fuck would I trust after everything you've done and said to me?" Jack shouted banging something with his fist sending vibrations throughout the bus.

"Dude, chill, he's telling the truth," I heard Gabe say. Gabe was in on this too?

"I can't believe you're actually supporting him!" Jack screamed at Gabe.

"Listen Jack, I really don't like Brittany like you do. As I said, it was all a test to see if she would hurt you like Kristy did because we can't deal with that here on tour," Alex explained calmly but made Jack even angrier.

"How many fucking times do I have to tell you that she's not Kristy and-"

"Look I get it, okay? I trust her now and I trust her to be with you," Alex said tiredly.

"I don't fucking need your blessing!" Jack exclaimed and was headed towards the entrance.

I got up and ran back a little and casually walked towards the bus as if I was just heading towards it. The door flew open and Jack's face softened as soon as he saw me. I looked up to him and smiled even if I was breaking inside. But at least the worst is over now and we can all go back to normal now that I know that Alex was faking everything to test me. I can't say I wasn't mad at him for having such little hope in me but the brighter side in all of this shined through all that crap and made me feel a whole lot better. It's like a big weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Jack engulfed me in a hug and I wrapped my arms around him tight. He pulled back a little and kissed my forehead. I smiled up at him as I kissed him on the lips.

"You wanna go somewhere?" Jack asked me and I raised an eyebrow.

"Jack, it's nine already," I told him. "Where could we possibly go?"

"I don't know," he said sullenly. "I just don't wanna be in there right now," he spoke softly and I smiled at him.

"Okay, let me just go freshen up first," I said and he was hesitant to let me go at first but he peeled his arms away from me and I walked past him and climbed on the bus.

Gabe and Alex were way back in the living room talking on the couch. They were probably talking about what happened. They didn't notice that I came in until I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Hey Brit," Gabe said walking over to me.

"Hey Gabe," I said drinking the water from the bottle and walked past him to get to the front door but I couldn't go far since he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Alex has something to say," he said and I looked at Alex who had a very nervous look on his face.

"Save it, I heard everything you guys were screaming about," I told them and Gabe looked confused. "The door was open and I heard the conversation and I'm just glad I don't have to deal with Alex anymore," I said looking at Alex as he gave me a smile.

"Oh, well could you try to convince Jack about what you believe?" Alex asked me and I nodded.

I spun around on my heel and started walking towards the entrance just to see Jack walking around in circles. I took his hand and he led me to some other place. I didn't really care about where we were going because I was just too happy. I smiled up at him and he smiled down at me as we sat down by the lake. I just hope what Alex said was true and that they didn't have anything else in mind because I didn't want to have to worry about anything except losing Jack.


	21. Chapter 21

We were talking sweet nothings as we took in the wonderful scenery before us. Jack had his arm around my shoulders while my arms were wrapped around my knees. The lake seemed so dead in the night so we just stared up at the sky. But after a while, it seemed like I was the only one looking up.

"Why are you looking at me?" I asked him as I turned my head to stare into his eyes.

He wasn't smiling. His expression was blank which sorta made me worry a bit. He leaned in after a few seconds of just staring into each other's eyes. Once his lips touched mine, all my worries washed away and I couldn't think about anything else except his kiss. I was happy with him – happier than I've even been in my life.

"You ready to go?" he asked with a small smile on his lips. Clearly he was still upset about the whole thing but there really was nothing to be upset about anymore. I trusted Gabe. He wouldn't lie to me, would he?

I nodded and we both got up. We walked back to the bus in silence. I checked my phone as soon as we got on the bus. It was already 2 in the morning. I can't believe we spent around 5 hours just talking in the lake. But with Jack, I guess time never really mattered as long as we were both in one place together. Cheesy, I know but he makes me feel like that.

I got into my bunk after changing into my PJs and grabbed a sweater and pulled it over my head. It was so cold on the bus for some reason.

No one else was awake on the bus. It was weird that they all had their lights out right now. Usually they all stayed up until three but I guess they were tired today.

I slid into my bunk and wrapped myself in my blanket as I closed the curtains. I was about to shut my eyes when someone reopened my curtains and slid in making everything tighter. I turned to face Jack and cuddled into his bare chest.

"How can you sleep without a shirt in this temperature?" I asked him as I planted kisses on his chest and trailed them up to his neck.

"I don't know but whenever I'm around you it feels like a hundred degrees," he said and I laughed.

I got on top of him and started nipping on his neck trying to leave my mark. "Are you implying that I'm hot?" I whispered into his ear as I felt something go up from down under. It felt weird but I was happy that I could actually elate him in some way.

"Very," he said half moaning in pleasure as he turned us around so that he was on top of me. I giggled as he grabbed both my wrists in one hand and rested them on top of my head. His other hand creeped inside my sweater and under my camisole and touched my skin. It left tingles as he kissed the side of my lips. God, he was teasing me.

I tried to move my face so that his lips would land on mine but every time I tried he would maneuver his way down to my neck. He let go of my wrists after a few more seconds and he lifted my sweater up so I could take it off. I threw it on the floor and wrapped my fingers on the hair at the back of his head. I pulled his head up gently so as not to hurt him and made my lips meet his. He smiled into the kiss but immediately put it away so he could deepen it.

Clothes were strewn across the bus as we tried to stay quiet but I guess we were pretty loud because I heard someone groan and ask us to keep it down. I didn't really know who it was since he spoke in barely a murmur but we didn't quiet it down at all. We ended up going at it in a rougher manner.

I laughed as Jack started talking dirty into my ear. Even it sounded so seductive and serious, it still amused me in a way because I never really expected him to talk to me in this manner.

I never thought that rough sex would be so amazing but Jack made sure that I had fun and that I made noises and I obliged because whenever I didn't, he would immediately start biting my neck. I didn't want to have so many marks in the morning so I had to give into him.

But there was one thing I knew for sure. He was amazing in bed and we were both sober.

I woke up the next morning next to Jack who was still sound asleep and thank myself for having the strength to put on some clothes before going to sleep. I grabbed my shorts from the floor and rewore them before heading out of my bunk and checking my phone which I left inside my bag.

"Good morning sleepy head," Rian said from the kitchen. "Wow, you have wild sex hair," he mentioned and I looked at him embarrassed.

"W-what?" I stammered as I walked towards the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I laughed when I came back out and walked into the kitchen. "I'm hungry," I told Rian who was making a batch of pancakes.

It was ten in the morning and the bus wasn't moving yet. I looked out at the window and realized that we were actually at a gas station. Oh so maybe it did move. I just didn't notice it.

Rian grabbed a plate and placed two pancakes on it before handing it to me. I smiled and thanked him with a nod as he placed the rest of the pancakes on another plate. He turned off the stove before sitting on the stool next to me by the counter. I grabbed maple syrup from the small pantry they had at the side and drowned my pancakes.

Zack and Alex came back on the bus and went straight into the kitchen when they smelled the pancakes.

"Why didn't you call us in for pancakes?" Alex exclaimed childishly grabbing a plate and stacking at least 7 pancakes into his plate.

"He just finished making them," I answered for Rian who was busy stuffing his mouth with the food he made.

"Well, look who's up so early," Zack said with a sly smile on his face as he grabbed a plate and placed some pancakes on it.

"You guys woke us up last night," Rian said and I looked down embarrassed.

"Sorry," I said laughing as I stuffed some grub into my hungry mouth.

"Don't be," Alex said. "You guys were having fun and that's a good thing," he stated and I looked at him as he gave me a smile.

I smiled back at him wondering if he meant that as a friend or something like that. I noticed something ringing somewhere near the table so I got up and grabbed it. It was Jack's phone.

_Hey babe, I miss you so much and I just want to let you know that I'm coming on tour soon. Love you!_

_From: Kristy._

_Received: 10:42:32 Today_

Why would he still have her number if he told me he didn't love her anymore?


	22. Chapter 22

"Who is it?" Rian asked when I stayed in the same position for probably more than half a minute.

"Oh, it's no one," I told him as I finished the rest of my pancakes and brought the phone into my bunk and right beside Jack who was still sleeping.

I had mixed emotions about what occurred and I didn't really know which feeling I should dwell on more. Was I supposed to angry? Was I supposed to be worried? Was I supposed to ask him about this? I didn't know what to do. Maybe the guys would know but if I did start that conversation with them, it would only turn awkward.

So here's what I did. After I placed Jack's phone beside him, I grabbed some clothes from the bus and took a quick shower. I spent at least ten minutes in the bathroom before I came out all fresh and clean – ready to get this day over with.

The guys didn't seem worried about me or anything like that. They probably thought that it was my phone since Jack and I had the same model. I'm not sure that them not worrying was a good thing or a bad thing but maybe it is a good thing because I wouldn't have to add another problem on this tour so I guess maybe it was best to shrug it off.

Just when I got out of the bathroom, Jack got up from the bunk and showed me a fake smile. He probably read the text already. I stepped away from the bathroom so he could use it.

I was actually going to get out and talk to some other people about this when suddenly the bus started moving and we were on the road. Maybe I could text Gabe or something. He'll know what to do, right?

Oh, who am I kidding? This is my problem so I might as well face it as soon as Jack comes out of the bathroom. I stepped aside to head into the living room as I waited for Jack to come out. The guys were playing COD: Modern Warfare again and I was wondering if they'll get sick of it eventually from playing it too much but they are boys so I guess that's impossible.

Alex was off to the kitchen. He was fixing himself up a peanut butter sandwich. I can't believe he was still hungry after everything he had for breakfast.

I walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. I felt eyes on my back so I turned and saw Alex staring at me. I raised an eyebrow at him but he shook his head telling me that there was nothing he wanted to say.

I didn't know why I wanted to ask him about Kristy but I found myself doing so. I mean he was after Jack's happiness too, right? So maybe he has some answers.

"Alex," I whispered not wanting the rest of the guys to hear. The game was really loud so I doubt they can hear our whispered conversation.

"Yes?" he asked in a normal manner clearly not catching on to the whispering part. I sighed and rolled my eyes as he took a bite from his sandwich. I can't believe a sandwich can preoccupy his senses like this.

"How would you feel if you had a girlfriend and she still kept in touch with her ex?" I asked him as I sat on the table counter.

He stopped and stared at me trying to figure out why I was asking him but that didn't take him long. A mixture of shock and surprise was evident on his face so I couldn't really tell if knew about this already or if he just found out from me.

"Um, I'd worry about it, that's for sure," he said innocently as he took another bite of his sandwich.

Before I could say anything more, Jack emerged from the bathroom and Alex walked into the hallway. I got off the table counter as I heard both of them talking in harsh whispers. When they saw me standing before them, Alex took Jack to the front of the bus and asked me for some privacy. I was going to slap him across the face for him asking me rudely but they went before I could even do anything.

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I joined Zack and Rian. They were now watching a movie. I didn't know what it was so I just sat next to Zack on the couch while Rian remained on the floor. I wonder why he didn't sit beside Jack.

"Is everything alright?"Zack asked me noticing the frown I had on my face. I really liked the fact that he noticed the little things. It made me feel sorta loved in a friendly manner. Like knowing that your friends actually do care for you and stuff like that.

"Yeah," I said with a half-hearted sigh.

This time Rian turned to face me and tried to break me down with his stare. I didn't want to have to explain everything but Alex and Jack were still having those mini-conference things and who knows how long those could last?

"Do you guys know if Jack still keeps in touch with Kristy or whatever her name was?" I asked and both their eyes popped.

"Why?" Rian was the first to regain composure. Zack just stayed frozen and I swear I would've laughed if I wasn't in such a sullen mood.

"I don't know, I mean she texted him this morning and I'm not sure if I should worry about it or not," I told him and Zack shook his head.

"What did she say?" Zack asked putting his arm around me as he pulled me into a side hug.

"She told Jack that she misses him and that she's coming on tour." That's when they both stopped dead and thought about something.

"Shit, we're going to Seattle next, right?" Rian said in terror as Zack hesitantly nodded.

The way the seemed so shocked made me want to laugh my guts out but my mind wouldn't just let me shrug this all off with laughter. It wouldn't be right.

"We sure are," an aggravated Alex chimed in.

I turned back and saw them make their way into the living room. Jack had his head down and he stopped at the door way just looking at the floor. I got up and walked my way to him. I grabbed one of his hands and put them in my own. My eyebrows creased on my forehead as his eyes turned teary.

"Jack?" I whispered not really caring about the other guys who were probably staring at us right now instead of the movie.

"Brit, I'm really sorry," he whispered back sounding ashamed.

"What do you mean?" I queried feeling really confused at this point.

"I didn't know it would go this far," he told me and the worried crease in my forehead soon turned into an angry scowl.

"What?" I asked wanting to clarify everything. He was talking vaguely and it was hard for me to understand.

"Brit, don't ask him about this right now. I'm sure he has a lot to think about," Alex said grabbing my arm and taking me away.

Jack walked back to the bunk area and I didn't want him to leave me with all these questions in my head but I knew that he wouldn't really be able to answer me. Well in all honesty, that wasn't really the case.

I didn't want him to answer me because I knew that the answers would mean the death of our relationship and I didn't want it to end, not yet at least.


	23. Chapter 23

I sat on the couch staring aimlessly out the back window wondering how much time had passed since Jack went back to his bunk. Alex checked up on me constantly. As did Zack and Rian but I never really answered any questions they asked me. I didn't answer them because for one, I didn't know if I was fine. Two, I didn't know if I was going to be okay any time now. Three, I didn't know if I wanted to eat anything because my mind made my appetite vanish.

The clock read 5 PM. Thirty more minutes before we get to the venue and I can roam around and get some place to help me breathe. A place where I can just think without being interrupted or anything like that. Being in a bus wasn't the type of place where I wanted to drown myself in silence since there was no silence. The guys were watching an action movie but I knew that half the time, they averted their focus on me with occasional whispering about what would happen if Kristy were to approach the guys and they'd see me. I didn't want to listen to them whispering but it was hard not to seeing as though they were only one foot away from me.

The bus finally stopped at the venue. I shot up and walked towards the door stopping to look at Jack who was fast asleep. His pillows were wet which I found kinda cute but now was not the time to say how adorable it was to know that he still cried in his pillows.

"Brit, where are you going?" Zack asked me as I took my first step down the few steps.

"Um, I'll be walking around the place," I told him. "Don't worry," And with that I was on my way to find my escape.

A lot of familiar faces came out of the buses around us. They were stretching their limbs and walking around just like me but there was one thing that they had that I didn't. They had smiles on their faces. I envied them for it but I knew that this would blow over soon. At least that's what I hoped for.

I shot Garrett a smile as he passed by and waved at me but that was all I could give to him. He immediately turned around in his footsteps as soon as he saw my smile falter into a frown and came towards me.

"What's wrong?" he asked me placing a hand on my shoulder. He was probably trying to stop me from escaping the questions he was about to ask.

"It's nothing," I said with a shrug as I tried my best to convince him that the white lie I shared to him was true. He didn't buy it. Was I that obvious?

"C'mon just tell me already," he whined and I rolled my eyes as I smirked at him.

"It's Jack," I told him and he motioned for me to go on. "Um, I have doubts about our relationship," I told him as we started to walk around slowly.

"What do you mean?" he asked me with an eyebrow raised.

"I mean he got this text this morning from his ex-girlfriend saying that she misses him and that she was coming to see him today and she lives in Seattle so…" I trailed off as I sighed heavily.

"Well, to be honest, I really don't know what to say. I mean I could tell you a hundred things to get you optimistic and to get your hopes high but I wouldn't want them to be cut down when something goes wrong. I mean I wouldn't want to-"

"Don't worry, Gary, I get it," I told him with a smile. He was so cute when he rambled like that. It made me want to pinch his cheeks. Wait did I really just say that?

"But I will be willing to help you know, if you need any," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," I said and gave him a hug.

He held me longer than I expected but then again maybe that was just my mind playing tricks on me. Why would a guy like Garrett like me? That's just absurd.

"So since we won't really be able to be on the same bus and I won't be free a lot, I'll just give you my number so we can talk, okay?" he offered and I smiled as I took my phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. He gave me mine and we exchanged numbers.

I didn't know if he was just trying to be nice or if maybe he was just making a move on me but I don't know. I had too much in my mind to go and add another thought that I needed to dwell on and think about.

He told me that he needed to go do some stuff and I told him that I'd be around and that maybe I'd give him a call some time. Contemplating on whether or not I sounded stupid, I felt someone tap on my shoulder from behind me and I turned around to see who it was.

"Oh my God, Brittany?" said a familiar face. I know that I knew her from somewhere but I couldn't place her. "It's me, Kristine. Remember me?" she asked me and then that's where it all snapped in place.

Kristine used to be my best friend. We went to this summer camp down in Maryland together and she used to visit me every summer but when we both turned 15, she stopped coming over for the summer since her Dad passed away. Her Dad and Mom were separated and her father used to live two blocks away from my place.

We never spoke to each other after that since we never really exchanged numbers or email addresses. I sorta regretted it but moved on eventually.

"Oh hey, how are you?" I asked her as I gave her a hug.

We caught for a while and talked about what had happened when we weren't talking to each other anymore. It felt like hours passed since we saw each other and the lights were starting to go on. It was getting late and people were flooding in. This meant that the shows were going to start.

"So any special reason as to why you're here?" she asked me and I nodded with a big smile.

"Yeah, I'm actually on tour with All Time Low," I told her and she nodded. "Have you ever heard of them?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to see them right now actually," she told me but there was something in her voice that told me that she wasn't just a fan. It seemed like she knew them as well.

"Oh, well, let me show you where their bus is then." I offered and she nodded as I walked back to my path and headed for the bus.

The guys were outside when I got there and when they turned and saw me each of their jaws dropped open. I was beginning to feel self-conscious so I turned to the side and looked at Kristine but when I stopped to look at her, she was already running towards Jack and choking him in a hug.

Kristine – my best friend – was Kristy – the one who broke Jack's heart.

This can't be happening.


	24. Chapter 24

Kristine Dubose. I stared at her with a normal expression for everyone to see but deep inside, I wanted to stab a knife into her back and watch the blood spill all over the venue floor. She deserved it for stabbing me at the back first.

Well maybe I'm being a little irrational and inconsiderate since she and I haven't kept in contact since but the reason behind why I wanted to stab her wasn't only because she was here and slutting it up to Jack. It's the fact that she had the guts to even show her face here after everything she's done to him. The whole text thing with Jack is still a shrouded mystery but now wouldn't really be a good time for me to complain about that since I didn't want to be rude.

Zack, Alex and Rian stared at me while I looked at Kristy and Jack who until now were still hugging. Jack didn't wrap his arms around her at all. He was staring right at me this whole time and it was getting sorta awkward so Kristy let go and time started moving again.

Jack had this sympathetic look on his face the whole time he held a conversation with Kristy. I didn't want to have to think about what they might say to each other or how the whole talk they're having right now might go about so I stepped aside and started walking towards a certain direction.

Maybe it would seem weird that I just sorta walked away but at least I didn't do it in tears or anything. My face was emotionless the whole time I was there so I didn't really give much away.

I didn't know why I felt like breaking down. I mean it's still gonna be Jack and me no matter what, right? I mean just because Kristy's here doesn't mean that our relationship would crumble into to pieces, does it? Should I be worried at all about this? Is this a bump in the road that I have to smoothen out? A challenge that awaits my sword? Okay, now I'm talking nonsense.

I walked towards the Hurley stage without a camera. I realized that when I saw the photographers showing their passes to the guards to let them in the area that other people without passes couldn't go to. I had a pass but I didn't have a camera so what was I supposed to do?

"Señorita?" Gabe's voice chimed in from behind me.

I turned back and smiled at him but he only frowned in return.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me and I just shrugged.

"I needed to get away for a while," I told him honestly and he sighed before pulling me into a hug.

"Don't worry, that bitch won't come close to getting back with him," he assured me but something in me told me not to believe him. I should really start thinking more optimistically.

"But you don't know that," I said as soon as he pulled away.

"Yes I do," he said narrowing his eyes at me.

"Saporta! You're on in five!" a roadie yelled from the backstage.

Gabe looked at me sympathetically before hugging me one more time and running to the back to get ready for the show.

"Good luck!" I managed to say before he was fully gone. He turned back and nodded at me before shutting the door.

So there I was alone again with my thoughts. I knew that I really didn't want to be alone but hell; there was nothing I could do about it. Deep inside, there was this gut feeling that told me that if I continued to pretend that everything was okay and perfect, I'd end up getting really hurt. Kristy was bad news and I knew about it. But how was I supposed to deal with her? How was I supposed to prove that she really was bad news and that me saying that wasn't just a false accusation?

I heaved a heavy sigh before turning around and walking back to the bus. I might as well do something productive with my camera than waste the hours just thinking to myself. Besides, Jack wasn't the only reason why I came along, was it?

Well maybe at first it sorta was but as time passed, I made new friends and I discovered new things. I made memorable experiences and enhanced my photography skills. Well the last one might not have been totally true but there was a little improvement on the angling and crap like that.

I walked back to the bus and saw that no one was standing in front of the door anymore. I went in without warning and grabbed my camera from my bunk.

A new set of bags were dumped in the living room. Did that mean that Kristy was bunking with us as well? Because if she was then I'd have to head over to either The Maine's bus or Cobra's bus to sleep. There was no way that she and I would share the same bus. She was like a plague to me now and I know that that isn't fair but the whole reason that she's here now isn't fair either.

I bet she's gonna be talking to Jack all day and all night since she doesn't really get along with the rest of the guys. She's gonna be talking to Jack about how she misses him and shit like that and its all in line with the evil plan she has of getting him back or something twisted and stupid like that. But does she even know that he and I are together now? Because if she didn't, then she had to; I'd tell her myself.

"Oh Jack, stop that," I heard Kristy giggle from one of the top bunks.

Heat started boiling up inside of me. I didn't even notice that the top bunk on my left had its curtains drawn. I looked up and narrowed my eyes at it as she continued to giggle. I wanted to pull it open badly just to see what they were doing but I knew that that would be wrong and awkward so I guess it would be best to just stay away for now. Jack would tell me if something happened, right?

I rolled my eyes at her giggles and made my way out of the bus and onto the grounds where Cobra's music was blasting out the speakers. The beat matched with the rhythm of my heart and it felt so good. It was as if the energy Gabe had in him when he sang slowly spread throughout the venue making me more light-hearted and less angry.

I showed off a real smile before running towards the Hurley stage and showing the guard my pass. He let me in without further questioning and I started taking pictures of the whole band.

"Zack, I told you for the hundredth time, I'm fine okay?" I said exasperatedly.

I was getting sick and tired of everyone's sympathy. I mean I knew they were only asking because they were anxious about me and they wanted to know if I was okay with everything but this is just too much.

Today, about eighteen people asked if I needed anything – a person to talk to, some one to lend a shoulder to cry on, someone to go out and have some reckless fun with. They seriously didn't get the message that I was trying to convey to them but then again maybe they saw right through me. But am I that obvious about everything? I mean since I left the bus, I haven't seen Kristy or Jack so I had no reason to burst into anger or anything like that. But they still thought that I was affected by Kristy's presence.

"Well, you don't look fine," he said and I turned my head towards him as I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"How so?" I asked him but he replied with only a shrug.

Zack and I were out getting something to eat at McDonald's. No one else wanted to come with us so we ended up just going alone together. I got a cheeseburger with fries and a Coke while he got a Big Mac with curly fries and a Sprite.

We sat a booth and ate away our food while talking about the whole situation. I tried to avoid it but getting it past Zack was apparently impossible.

"Look, you don't have to act that you're okay in front of everyone. You shouldn't hide your feelings away or anything. No one's asking you to stop expressing yourself," he said all of a sudden after munching on the last of his burger.

"I'm not putting on a show, Zachary," I told him but he rolled his eyes at my statement.

"Brit, that attitude really won't get you anywhere. You of all people should know that," he told me and I guess it was sorta true so I just nodded as I looked out the window.

Speak of the devil, he had his tongue down her throat and he wasn't doing anything to push her away.

She was so dead to me now. Wait, make that the two of them.


	25. Chapter 25

I got up from the booth and Zack looked at me questioningly. I cocked my head to the side and he saw what I did and got up with me. He gave me a sympathetic smile but I just felt angry. I wanted to rip Jack's head from his body but at the same time I didn't. This was all Kristy's fault. If she never showed up, none of this would ever have happened.

"Let's go," Zack simply said taking my hand and leading me out the door.

I just followed right behind him as we started to walk towards them. I was pulling back a little but Zack made it impossible for me to escape him. He looked at me with a face of determination as we confronted them. Kristy had this evil triumphant look on her face. Was this all a game to her? Was she here to do the same things all over? Did she know beforehand that I would be here? Why did she want to fuck things up for me?

"What the hell is wrong with you, Jack?" Zack asked letting go of my hand so he can push Jack in the chest. It sent him moving back more than a couple of steps.

Kristy looked at me with those deceiving eyes. It was like she was trying to get a message through me but I didn't want to get any of it. She was trying to tell me that she won Jack but I never really knew we were playing a game.

"Zack, don't," I said walking over to both of them and leaving Kristy on her own. I despised her greatly and nothing she'll do or say will change the way I look at her.

Jack looked at me again with those sympathetic eyes and I just didn't get anything anymore. Why was he looking at me like that? I knew that there was something he wanted to say but I don't know why he chose to keep it secret.

"Punch me, I probably deserve it," he said emotionlessly as he averted his focus to Zack who at this point was fuming.

"Don't give me the shit, Barakat," Zack said boiling up even more.

"Zack, please just stop," he wasn't listening to me. I hated how I had no say in situations like this.

"Brit, he needs this," Zack said through gritted teeth as he kept his eyes towards Jack who was staring back at him defencelessly.

"I don't care, okay? Just don't do it!" I said frustrated. That got his attention. "He can live his life the way he wants to and if he chooses to live it like this then so be it," I told him. "I won't be here forever anyway," I looked at Jack who seemed pained about everything.

"Let's just go," I told Zack and grabbed his hand before walking away.

We didn't speak another word to each other once we reached the bus. It might've been dark outside but I didn't want to stay in the bus yet. I leaned on the back of the bus watching people pass me by. Some of the noticing me and saying 'hi' while others just simply walking by.

The sound of giggling came from a distance and I knew that they were back. I heard the bus door open and close but there was only one pair of feet that got inside. I peered to the side of the bus just to see Jack leaning on the bus. I knew that staying here and doing nothing about this wouldn't get me anywhere so I walked up to him and showed myself to him.

He was about to hold me when I pushed him away.

"Can I ask you something?" I said leaning against the bus beside him. I didn't want to meet his eyes so I just looked forward. "Why are you back with her?"

"I don't have a choice," he said. I furrowed my eyebrows in question as I turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" My voice was softer now. I didn't know why I couldn't stay mad at him. Maybe being blinded by my infatuation with him did this to me.

"Brit, she's pregnant with my baby," he said and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"But I thought you haven't seen her in months," I said remembering everything Zack told me at Starbucks back home.

"Well, before I left and moved away, I saw her secretly. I mean I was drunk at this party the guys threw for me about moving on. It was held at this club and we were just drinking our asses off because I was finally free from her and crap like that. The guys left ahead of me since I told them that I needed some time alone. She was there that night and I couldn't believe I didn't see her but she came to me as soon as the guys left. We ended up spending the night at her place and she didn't take a pill." So much emotion came out of him just then and it looked like he was about to cry. He regretted everything. It was evident in the way he spoke about that night.

"Jack, I-I'm really sorry," I said feeling every bit of sympathy from him. Everyone was ganging up on him for being with her and it was like he was drowning in all the pain that he felt.

"There's no need for you to apologize. This is all my fault. I missed her then but now, I want her gone." He said crossing his arms over his chest.

"How far along is she?" I asked him and he looked at me.

"Two months," he said. "She wants to keep the baby but I don't want anything to do with it. Brittany, I want to be with you. Not her! If I want a baby, I want you to be the mom. Not her." He spat angrily as he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Jack, I don't know what to say," I whispered to him.

"Just say you love me too and I'll be okay," he told me.

He grabbed my hand and kissed me on the lips. I knew that there would be no one else but him for me but the situation we were in was impossible. I don't know what to do anymore.


	26. Chapter 26

It felt like time stopped as soon as our lips collided and the way he kissed me just made me melt under him. I missed this feeling so much and I can't believe I have to give it all away because Kristy claims she's pregnant with his baby. Who knows? It might not be Jack's. I mean she was slutting it up to everyone in their neighborhood as far as I was concerned and it had been two months since she and Jack last saw each other. Maybe it was someone else's. I mean what are the odd?

I didn't know if doubting all of this was meant to be something I needed to do to pass the time. It seemed useless really seeing as it wasn't my business to begin with. I shouldn't even dwell in the situation but whatever.

Jack and I parted when I forcefully pulled my lips away from him. I didn't want to but the fact that Kristy's lips kissed his just sickened me. I thought it was disgusting to kiss someone who kissed someone else before you did and that someone was someone who was probably lying about her pregnancy just to get Jack back.

Nothing in my life is ever fair. That's a new realization for me. The very moment that things started to shape up for me, something just needs to ruin it. It's as if the world doesn't approve of my happiness. Like I did something extremely wrong to earn the world's disapproval but I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Wasn't I the one who thought everything through so I wouldn't commit mistakes that could have been avoided if I thought about it more? As far as I was concerned, I was that kind of person. But now, I'm not so sure anymore.

Jack looked at me with a fresh wave of pain in his eyes. I was neglecting him and he thought that maybe it was because I hated him. I told him that I only pulled away because it felt wrong that I was kissing him.

"Didn't you hear what I said, Brit?" he asked me with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Jack, you can't just go kissing anyone," I told him looking from side to side to see if anyone saw us.

"You're not anyone, Brit, you're mine. I mean at least we were together before she came and messed it all up. But Brittany, I love you," he said sweetly but I couldn't give in to him. Not while some hoe bag is carrying his 'child'.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him and somehow, he got tired of waiting. He climbed back up the bus and made his way to the back. I sighed and mentally slapped myself for not telling him I loved him as well.

I leaned back at the side of the bus and just closed my eyes and tried to dream this all away. I told myself that maybe this was all a bad dream and that when I wake up, it'll all be okay again. But sadly, this was reality and in all honesty, it sucked – a lot.

"What're you doing out here alone at this time of the night where guys might be lurking to rape girls like you?" Garrett asked as soon as he passed by.

I opened my eyes to see him eyeing me in a weird way. I didn't know why I reacted the way I did but the next thing I knew, I threw my arms around Garrett and he wrapped his arms around my waist.

Tears started streaming down my face and I felt like I could cry for hours but it embarrassed me to express myself like this – at least when I was around other people. But somehow – with Garrett wrapping his arms around me – it almost felt comforting; like it was okay to cry.

"Shh, it's okay," I was crying silently but he still felt the need to shush me. I thought it was funny but this was hardly a time to start laughing about the smallest things.

"I just don't know what to from here," I said. "Where exactly am I supposed to go and what should I do, Garrett?" I asked him as I tried to hold the tears but they fought their way out of my eyes.

Garrett stayed silent for awhile. He composed his thoughts well before saying anything. "Well, I think you should give this some time. I mean you and Jack had just started a relationship and I'm sure that girl won't be there forever," Oh, but she was going to be there forever. He just didn't know it.

"You don't know that," I told him thinking about how I was losing this fight without trying. I hadn't shown any effort of trying. Well, it would've been a fixed fight either way. Pregnant girls always get the guy.

"You don't either," Garrett countered while rubbing my back soothingly. I felt something when he touched me but I wasn't sure if it was meant to be something friendly or something more than that.

"Life sucks," I complained as I wiped the tears from my eyes and pulled away from him.

"Oh, come on, don't talk like that," Garrett said trying to be optimistic but I didn't want any of that. I didn't dismiss it though because that would be plain rude.

"Garrett, you don't even know the girl-"

"I know Kristy. She was there when All Time Low toured with us. She's an annoying bitch who has sex with anyone and anything and I know it won't be long until Jack gets rid of-"

"Garrett, she's pregnant with Jack's baby," I couldn't hold it in anymore. It was making me drown in misery and I never thought I'd feel this way about the situation but it was inevitable. It was as if this day wouldn't be complete unless I felt like total bullshit by the end of it.

Garrett just stared at me wide-eyed. Crap. Didn't Jack announce this to everyone? I mean was I the only one he told? Was I the only who he trusted with this?

"Gar, you can't tell anyone, okay?" I started to panic. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, was I?

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," he stammered.

"I'm serious," I told him sternly. At this he laughed and sorta lightened up but shock was still evident in the way he looked at me. "You really can't tell anyone,"

"Don't worry, you can't trust me," he told me and I tried to smile but ended up bringing my lips as far as a straight line on my face. I hated feeling like this.

The bus door opened and someone started to go down the steps. I waited to see who it was hoping it wasn't Jack or Kristy.

Alex came down and turned his head to the side and saw Garrett first. He gave him a man hug and then turned to me.

"Are you alright?" he asked me and I nodded. "Tears in your eyes are not the right definition for alright," he said and I rolled my eyes and looked at Garrett who seemed to act all cool and collected; as if what I had just told him didn't affect him in any way.

"I'm okay, Garrett here just told me a really sad story," I lied but Alex didn't believe any of that crap. I thought he was gonna push me to answer him but he didn't.

"Anyway, everyone's been looking for you," he told me and I raised an eyebrow.

"I was out here the whole time," I said and he nodded.

"Well I hate to be a party pooper but we all want you inside so we know you're safe," I didn't really believe what Alex said but I knew that saying something else would make this conversation longer and that there was no way I could get rid of Alex and return to my conversation with Garrett.

"Well, I'll talk to you later then?" Garrett said and I nodded before he turned and walked away.

I got in the bus after Alex and noticed that the whole bus was silent and that they were all at the back lounge. I wondered about why they were all there but there was really only one way to find out.

Zack and Rian watched me as I walked in. They must've seen the way my eyes were red because they immediately got up and started asking questions. Jack on the other hand was just looking at me with a face that seemed guilty. Kristy wasn't with the rest of the guys so I figured she must've been asleep or something.

"Come on guys, we don't have all night to do this," Alex said when Zack and Rian were bombarding me with questions I refused to answer.

"What is this about, anyway?" I asked as I sat right in between Rian and Zack. Zack held me protectively and I as starting to get annoyed. I mean it's not like I think it's bad that he's overprotective but I think he's showing it a little bit too much now.

"Jack told us about the pregnancy," Rian said and I nodded.

"And we think she's faking it," Alex chimed in.

"We don't know for sure yet though," Zack said.

"Are you sure it's yours?" I directed the question to Jack who looked at me and shrugged.

"She said it was," he said and we all rolled our eyes.

"How do you know she hasn't been fucking around with some cheap guys she met at bars?" Alex spat out rather bitterly. Jack looked like he was hurt about what he said.

"Don't treat her like she's some prostitute," Jack said angrily, "because she isn't," I really didn't get how Jack felt about the whole situation. I mean one moment, he's telling you that he hates her and he wants to get rid of her but the next thing you know, he's telling you not to talk shit about her.

Everyone kept silent after what Jack said and I started to feel really awkward just sitting where I was. I mean was I really supposed to be there at that moment? It felt like this was a boys' only time and somehow I was forced to get it on this but I don't know.

"Whatever Jack," Zack said all of a sudden, "You have to decide. It's Brittany or that hoe bag." Again Jack seemed to get even angrier. Now this was exactly why I thought I wasn't supposed to be here.

"That's not even something I'd have to think about twice. You all know I'd pick Brit any day," he muttered in his seat but loud enough for everyone to hear. He looked at me and I looked back at him trying to regain the connection we once had. But for a moment, I felt nothing. No connection at all.


	27. Chapter 27

I dozed off after I looked at Jack. I couldn't take hearing their conversation anymore and the stinging in my eyes wasn't helping. Someone must've brought me back to my bunk because when I woke up this morning, there was a blanket on top of me and my curtains were drawn.

I grabbed my phone from under my pillow to check the time and it said that it was half past nine. I yawned as I got out of bed and was going to use the bathroom when I heard someone hurling from inside.

Great, morning sickness. That's something I can totally deal with. Not. I turned my heel and walked to the kitchen where Rian was situated eating a sandwich with I'm guessing peanut butter in it because that's the only kind of spread we have here.

"Why can't you guys buy something chocolate-y for once?" I asked scratching my head as I opened the fridge.

"What, you're having cravings too?" he asked in a bitter tone. I turned my head to look at him to see if he was joking but he was dead serious. What did I do now? "Sorry, it's just that I hate having her here. Hearing her puke her guts out every hour she's awake isn't helping the whole situation. She's like a nightmare brought to life and I don't understand what I did to deserve this kind of torment. It's just not right." Rian rambled on.

I rolled my eyes at his choice of words and kept my mouth shut because Kristy came out of the bathroom. Where the hell was I supposed to take a bath and do my business now? I didn't want to go in there. Not after what she did.

"Oh hey Brit," she greeted as soon as she took her seat next to Rian.

Rian scrunched his face in disgust and I swear his expression was drop dead, the funniest thing I've ever seen in a while. Sad thing is that I can't laugh at it because Kristy would ask and then I'd tell her and then she'd probably throw a fit due to her mood swings.

"Uh, hey," I said rather awkwardly as I continued to look for food in the fridge.

I grabbed an apple and washed it in the sink before taking a bite. Rian was already up and about ready to leave. The rest of the guys weren't on the bus anymore. I didn't want to be here with her alone so I went to the bunk area and grabbed a new set of clothes so I could change and prepare for the day ahead of me. Hopefully that day won't include having to spend time with her or even talking to her.

"Look, I know coming back here ruined your chances of being with Jack. I know he's a great guy and soon he'll be a great father. Let's just face it. We both now that we're right for each other and I'd hate to say this but I really want to ask you to stop being a whore. I saw you kissing him last night and I know it's been hard for you to cope with everything but I think it's time for you to move on." She said and I turned around slowly – for dramatic effect – to look at her straight in the eye with mixed feelings of confusion and anger.

She was scared. At least I knew I could scare her like this. "Excuse me?" I said and she breathed in deeply.

"I know we haven't seen each other for a really long time but I didn't know you'd turn into someone who'd go for a guy that's taken already. I mean come on, Brit. I thought we were best friends." Is she even listening to herself right now?

"Look, don't pretend like I don't know what you did to Jack the last time you were with him. I know about the whole break up and how you treated him like shit the whole time you were in a relationship. I know everything Kristy so don't act like you're fucking innocent because everybody in this goddamn tour knows that you're the fucking whore who's been slutting it up to pretty much anything and everything that walks," All my frustration just flew out of me and drove it like a knife to her heart. She was pretty much in awe after I said what I did.

"You don't even know half of what went on with us," she said with tears welling in her eyes. Oh boo-hoo, like I'd give a damn if a tear falls from her shitty face.

"Oh please, save the theatrics for a crowd that's willing to watch it," I told her as I walked past her to the bathroom with clothes in hand. I didn't like the thought of having to go in there but I didn't really have a choice. It was either that or stand with her in the same hallway feeling awkward.

I locked myself in the bathroom and listened for any footsteps that would signify her movement. Nothing. She was standing still in her spot but I didn't really care. She could stand there for as long as she wanted.

I washed up a little before changing. Luckily I left my bag of necessities in the bathroom. I just hope Kristy didn't touch any of it or I'd totally punch her in the stomach and make sure she had a miscarriage. I was this close to doing that. She got me so fucking pissed and the last thing I want her to do is touch my stuff without permission. I just wish this whole thing was over with already so I can live my life the way I fucking want to because she's one hell of a hindrance.

After I freshened up, I towelled myself dry and put on my clothes. I brushed my teeth and then blow-dried my hair. Once I thought I felt good enough, I opened the door and went out with my laundry in one hand. I placed them inside my bag filled with laundry under my bed. When I got up, I felt someone grab me by using the hair at the back of my hair and spinning me around.

Kristy bitch-slapped me right across the face. Her eyes were bloodshot and tears were streaming down her face.

"Bitch, what the fuck is your problem?" I exclaimed as she backed away from me probably afraid that I might hit her back. I held the part that hurt the most. How in the world did she have hands as heavy as bricks?

"You! You're my problem! You're the one taking what's most important away from me!" She cried hysterically and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm the one who went out and cheated on a guy who deserved better the whole time I was with him," I said with pure sarcasm in my voice.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She said covering her ears. God, I swear I could've punched her in the face.

"You know what, whatever," I said anger boiling up from inside me. "Have fun living the rest of your fucking fucked up life the way you fucking want to because I'm done with you and your fucking problems." I walked briskly to the front of the bus with a scowl on my face and went down the steps to join the rest of civilization.

I wanted to scream but I didn't want to be heard. I wanted to run so far but I didn't want people to think I was crazy. I wanted to punch something but I knew the only thing I'd be destroying is my hand.

There were so many things I wanted to do. But there was one thing that I wanted to do the most: punch Kristy in the fucking stomach and hope to God that her baby dies and she dies along with it. Then, I'd be happy and I'd love life every single second of every single day.

But I know that if I did it, someone would possibly hate me forever and I didn't want to risk it. I didn't even strike back because of the same reason but maybe this could be a good thing. Or not.


	28. Chapter 28

"Hey Brit, you okay?" I hated that line. I've heard it too much today.

To everyone who asked, I told them about what happened with Kristy on the bus and they got even angrier at her. Usually, I'd keep things to myself but this was Kristy we were talking about. Nothing she'd do would get off as okay. I wasn't going to let her assault me and act like nothing happened. Everyone needed to know her and what she could do.

"She did what?" Zack grew in anger about the whole situation. This time his overprotectiveness wasn't so bad. I felt like it was something I needed at this time.

"You heard what I said," I muttered seeming very tired. The sun was making me feel dizzy. I was fuming and my head was aching. How can this day get any worse?

"I can't believe this, Brit. She's gone too far..." Zack rambled on and on about how I should've punched square in the face but I told him that Jack would totally blow up on me if I did that to her. "Fuck what Jack thinks! I think you should get mad when you want to and punch someone in the face when you need to!" he said and I smiled lightly at what he said.

"I appreciate it Zack and as much as I want to look at it the way you do, I can't." I sighed sitting on the chair by the merch table. Zack was helping Vinny today.

"Because you care about him too much, right?" he said and I nodded.

I didn't really know why he said that as if it was something disappointing but maybe if I dwelled on it more, I'd add another problem to my very big list. I didn't that right now.

"Zack, what the hell should I do about this?" I asked him as he sat down on the seat beside me. No one really came to the tent at this hour which was a good thing because I needed to talk to Zack. Vinny was out for lunch so we were both in complete solitude.

"Honestly, I don't even know but I'd try to slowly get over Jack. I mean if what Kristy says is true and that she really is pregnant, then you won't be able to touch Jack – ever. Knowing Jack, he won't be looking for anyone else once he's locked under Kristy's spell. I don't know why he stays loyal to that whore but he does and no matter how many times we convince him to get her back for all the shit she caused him, he'd just nod at what we said but that's just it. He won't be doing anything about it." He said.

"God, why does the world have to be so cruel?" I asked restlessly. I swear my head has never been this dizzy before and my throat has never been this dry.

"Are you okay?" he asked changing the subject. He kept his eyes on me. They held worry and I just laughed keeping the mood a little cheerful but it didn't really work much. "You seem a little pale."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Well not worrying about is sorta hard at this point," he said and I smiled. I felt really tired for some reason.

"Zack, is it just me or is everything around me spinning like a top?" I asked him and he raised an eyebrow. My breathing started to get heavier and I was starting to panic.

"Brit? Brit?" he exclaimed before my eyes completely closed. I heard a couple of footsteps but that was it.

Everything was black and I really didn't get why I passed out but as I laid unconscious, thoughts started flowing through my head – thoughts about what would happen if Kristy really did have that baby and how I'd lose Jack forever. I really don't want to wait until I reached the point where Jack would have to break it down to me and tell him that it'd be best if I moved on for myself. I had to move on right this moment before it got any worse and before things develop further. I needed to stop being with him and I needed to stop feeling the way I do about him because we won't happen and we never will.

Maybe in another lifetime, things might have worked out for us but in this life – a life where everything that's fair must be justified with something unfair – I guess it never will.

I know that it's quite unlike me to just give up on all this but what more can I do? I can't just keep pining for him until the baby comes and then after that. What will their kid think of me then? I bet his or her mother would talk shit about me. I mean that's like a given fact. But I just hope she gets what she deserves – hell.

I shut my eyes tighter before I reopened them. I was in an air conditioned room with white walls and I was on a soft bed. It took me a while to realize that I was actually in a hospital. I sighed as I got up slowly. I looked out the window and saw that it was dark outside.

Inside the room, I saw a few sleeping bodies. I couldn't really see who was who since it was pretty dark. One of them rolled over and got up. They all looked so helpless on the floor.

"Brittany?" I heard Garrett say.

"Hey, what are you all doing here?" I asked as he rushed over to me and hugged me.

"Well, we were worried sick about you being sick. If that makes any sense," he said and I laughed a little. The pain in my head was gone but I felt quite nauseous. Luckily in times like these, I knew how to hold in the nausea.

"Well, you guys shouldn't have stayed," I whispered not wanting to wake anyone else up. "Who's on the floor exactly?"

"Well, there's Gabe, Alex, Zack and Rian. Jack was here the whole day too but we all told him to go back to the venue because Kristy told him that if he was going to stay here, she'd come over and we didn't want that so…" he trailed off. I appreciated Jack's thoughtfulness but I knew that trying to move on would do me good. It might hurt at first but time will heal itself, right?

"They all look so uncomfortable," I said trying to get up but once I stood up, a wave of nausea hit me. It was stronger than anything I've ever felt and so I dashed right into the bathroom and puked out yellow things. Was it acid? Maybe it was bile? Why am I even puking?

Garrett rushed over to my side and held my hair out of the way as I leaned into the seat and puked in the toilet. I don't recall eating anything rotten. I made sure everything was fine before I ate anything so why was I experiencing all this?

"Is she okay?" I heard Zack ask. Shit, did I wake them all up?

"I need water," I said and I hear footsteps leave the room but Garrett was still there but this time he was rubbing my back up and down as I puked. The acid burned my throat and I wanted it all to stop but the nausea wasn't fading away.

"Here," Zack said sitting on the floor with me, opposite to Garrett.

Once I was sure I didn't have anything to puke out anymore, I flushed the toilet and asked Garrett to let go of my hair. I washed my face and gargled before drinking water. They both helped me back to the bed and never in my life did I feel so loved. I had friends. I didn't really need anything more, did I?


	29. Chapter 29

I slept through the rest of the night without having to get up anymore to puke my guts out. I woke up the next morning with the doctor telling me that the only reason why I was in the hospital was because I was dehydrated and that my body needs more water if I wanted to survive in the heat.

I was thankful that it wasn't anything serious because I didn't know what I would do if I was pregnant or whatever. I mean babies are good I guess but having one at this stage of my life would totally obliterate any chance of having anywhere to go.

We were back in the bus at the venue and we were getting ready to move. I seriously didn't want to stay with the guys today. I mean they were really generous about staying with me and watching over me but Kristy just really gets on my nerves. It's like she has this people repellent inside of her because everyone who's tried to actually be nice to her just ends up hating her. Maybe it's the mood swings but I don't know. I mean isn't she supposed to grow by now? She hardly eats anything and she seems fine most of the time.

"So whose bus are you gonna be on?" Zack asked me as soon as I grabbed all the stuff I might need – like a bottle of water for example – and I turned to look at his disappointed face.

"The Maine's," I said. "Garrett said they wanted me to ride there," I said slinging my bag over my shoulder as Zack's frown deepened even more.

"But we want you to ride here too," he whined and I smiled.

"Well as much as I'd want to ride here, I can't. She's too much for me to handle." I told him and he nodded but kept his head down.

I wrapped my arms around him and he held me tightly. "I'll be back soon," I told him and he nodded.

Alex and Rian were still asleep and Jack took Kristy out for breakfast because she said she craved for some stuff. I didn't even want to get into any of that. I really do think that she's not pregnant anymore though. Maybe she tells Jack she has these cravings so he can take her out and they can be alone for a while but whatever it's his life. There's nothing I can do about it.

I walked out of the bus but caught up with Jack on the way out. Kristy walked past me and intentionally bumped me. I just don't get what her problem is. Well maybe I do but I think she's taking it to the most extreme level.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" he asked sincerely and I shrugged.

"I'm okay I guess. I just need water in my system and I'm good," I told him and he gave me a half hearted smile.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said and I nodded.

"Thanks, but I sorta have to go," I said looking at Garrett who was waving for me to come over.

"Oh, you're not riding with us?" he asked and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're kidding right? I wouldn't survive a long bus ride with Ms. Hormonal," I told him and he sighed and walked in without another word.

I didn't get it. I seriously didn't. Was there something I was missing here? What did I say? I mean wasn't it true? She was hormonal and he hates her but I just don't know anymore. I thought about it some more as I walked towards Garrett who pulled me into a hug before bringing me inside.

"You guys actually cleaned up?" I laughed as I dropped my bag as I placed my bag on the table in the kitchen.

"Well, we couldn't keep the bus dirty all the time. Tim over here kept yelling at us about how dirty the bus was and this shut him up," John explained and I laughed.

"Well at least I can actually see the floor now," I said and everyone laughed.

We spent the day watching movies and playing cards – nothing good ever happened when we played cards though so we always ended up stopping after three games or so. Once everyone grew tired, John went into his bunk to get a quick nap, Kennedy and Jared started playing Xbox while Pat watched them and then eventually, he would challenge the winner. Tim was on his laptop which left Garrett and I alone.

We were in his bunk talking the situation out. I don't understand why he didn't just drop it but I guess it was cool that he was trying to help me out even if it wasn't his problem to begin with.

"Do you think she's really pregnant?" I asked Garrett. I lay down on his pillow as he leaned against the wall.

He looked down at me with curious eyes. "I'm not sure anymore I mean it doesn't really make sense." He said. "She doesn't make sense,"

"True," I said with a laugh.

"I was just wondering though…" he asked looking ahead of him not wanting to meet my eyes. "What are you gonna do if she really is pregnant and he turns out to be the father?" Garrett asked.

I turned to look at him but he didn't look at me at all. "I don't know, I've actually been thinking about moving on right now before it's too late you know?" I said and he nodded. "But it's hard," I told him.

I didn't understand myself anymore. It's like I have two split personalities - one of which hates Jack and the other one loves him as much as I do now and wants to spend a whole lifetime with him. But no one ever gets that kind of fairy tale ending in this world. It's never a happily ever after, it's usually a fucked up ending that makes you want to just get away from everything you've wanted to escape from for so long. It sucks that I don't live in a fairy tale but hey, there are some good things about reality.

"You know, I could help you with that," he said nervously as I chuckled at what he said.

I sat up next to him against the wall and turned to the side to look at him but when he turned to face me – with our lips inches away from each other – I knew he was being serious about this and he wasn't just joking around. The next thing I knew, our lips collided and there was no more turning back. I was moving on and nothing and no one could stop me.

_Bye Jack_.


	30. Chapter 30

All I did was kiss back. I wasn't sure if what I was doing was something entirely wrong or something entirely right. Nothing's clear with the way things are going right now. Everything seems more than a little hazy and it irritates me that I just can't get anything right anymore. Usually, I'm the one who makes all the right decisions because I know by heart somehow that I wouldn't regret them but this decision right here…well there was no decision really to begin with. It was more of an impromptu so does it count?

"Okay so maybe I have a little confession to make," he whispered after we pulled away out of breath.

"Yeah? What's that?" I asked him and he smirked.

"Well maybe it's kinda clear now that I kissed you," he said biting his lip as I chuckled.

"Right," I said yawning.

"Wait, who kissed who?" I heard John's voice from outside Garrett's bunk. The curtain to the bunk we were in was drawn and we didn't really pay attention to everyone else on the bus. For all we knew, they could've been sleeping or doing things other than listening to our conversation.

John pushed the curtain aside and sat by our feet. Garrett grabbed my hand before I could say anything. As soon as John saw our hands intertwined, a big smile crept up on his lips.

"Now I get it," he said wiggling his eyebrows at me. "It's good that you're finally together now. Garrett over here just wouldn't shut up about you these past few days." John mentioned with an exaggerated exasperated tone.

Garrett blushed slightly and I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, man," he said and I laughed as he reddened just like a tomato.

"But it is true. I mean it's good that you're actually with him now because Garrett can finally go all mellow and non-hormonal. He's always easily pissed off when he's not with anyone," John said jokingly. Garrett got up from his side and crawled over to John and punched him in the shoulder. They started to wrestle and I was just there watching them as I laughed my ass off.

I haven't laughed like this in quite a while and I was slowly coming to a conclusion that maybe this would be a good thing for me. Maybe this wasn't as bad as it all seemed.

I stopped laughing as soon as John and Garrett were both on the floor. John was laughing out loud while Garrett was right beside him – arms across his chest.

"Aw, come on Garrett, lighten up will ya?" John said pushing him lightly on the shoulder.

He rolled his eyes before looking up at me. I just smiled sheepishly down at him and suddenly, he was all better. It was as if what John said to him hadn't affected him at all.

A few minutes later, the bus stopped at a gas station. We were on a pit stop and I was feeling a little parched once again. The guys didn't have water in their fridge anymore and all my bottles were finished so I told the guys about my dilemma.

"Oh dear, what ever are we going to do?" Kennedy asked faking a gasp of worry and concern.

"I'll just go down and buy a few bottles," I said with a smile as I turned and started walking towards the door but before I could move, someone grabbed me by the shirt and spun me around.

"I'm coming with you," Garrett said and the guys started teasing us as soon as he took my hand and we left.

"You know you don't have to do everything with me," I told him somehow liking the feeling of his hand in mine. It was quite comfortable to be honest.

"But I want to do everything with you," he whined like a sissy girl. I laughed as I nudged him with my shoulder.

We went inside the convenience store but I had to stop as soon as I went inside. Garrett's grip on my hand tightened around me as we walked to the refrigerators with cold drinks in them. Kristy was on the counter top making out with some guy who wasn't Jack and that right there shouldn't be happening. I wanted to walk up to her and yell at her badly but Garrett's grip on my hand was too tight to get out of.

After a few seconds, the kissing sounds stopped and I was afraid to turn around but guess what? I didn't have to. Someone spun me around. Great.

"Well, well, well, I'm glad to see that you've moved on to a much," Kristy paused, "handsome-looking guy," My God, does she try to flirt with every guy she passes by all the time? Or is this just some sick joke that she's playing one me?

"Excuse me?" I said raising an eyebrow. Garrett squeezed my hand and applied a little more pleasure to it.

"You're excused," Kristy laughed trailing that poor guy to the side.

"Wait, what're you doing with that guy? Aren't you supposed to be with Jack?" I asked. I had to ask. I mean I wasn't sure if she was going to answer honestly but I had to try.

"I fooled you too, huh? I'm such a great actress," Conceited much? "Well, newsflash, I'm not pregnant and I came back here just to mess things around. Things can't just go all happy-happy-joy-joy all the time. You of all people should know that," she said with a smirk as she went out of the door.

I bit my lip as I looked down at the ground. I don't know why but somehow, what she said struck a nerve.

"You okay?" Garrett asked placing a finger under my chin so he could lift my face up.

"Oh, um, yeah," I told him but he wasn't moved by my answer. Who'd be moved by an answer like that?

Fortunately, Garrett didn't push me to answer him. He simply grabbed bottles of water from the fridge and brought it to the counter and paid for them. I didn't even care anymore about who was going to pay for the bottles of water that he just bought for me. I was too preoccupied. I was thinking about how Jack was holding up and stuff like that.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" he asked opening a bottle of water and handing it to me.

I simply nodded as I drank the bottle's contents and went out the door. I grabbed Garrett's hand as we made our way to the bus. But as we were walking, I saw Jack looking right at us. He looked like shit. Well, I wouldn't be surprised after all that he was been through and crap like that but I did feel sorry for him. I just can't believe Kristy made all this happen to him just for her entertainment.

Jack smiled at me but it quickly faltered as he went back up on the bus. I was sure he was about to go inside the convenience store to maybe buy a box of Twinkies but I don't know. Maybe he wanted to get some fresh air or something.

Well, is it too late to start regretting now?


	31. Chapter 31

"I can't just let it go. I don't want to let it go!" I heard Jack exclaim as soon as I set foot on the All Time Low bus. I didn't think I'd ever come back in here again but I felt like I needed to.

Garrett and I have been somewhat exclusive now and I've been really happy lately. But nothing really compared to the way I felt when Jack was around. I know it's not right for me to compare or anything since Garrett is Garrett and Jack is Jack but sometimes, I just can't help it. I mean it's not like I don't like being with Garrett, it's just that sometimes, I wish what happened never really happened because then, Jack and I would still be together.

"Get a hold of yourself, bro! Do you know how much you mess up on stage because of what you're dealing with?" I heard Alex counter.

"For Christ's sake, it's only been two fucking days, man! Cut me some slack, will ya?" and with that, the conversation was cut short because apparently, Jack was heading out of the bus – back to where I was standing.

"Um, hey," I said to Jack who seemed a little flustered. It wasn't like I eavesdropped on them intentionally.

"Hey," he said in a soft voice.

"I was just going to-"

"No, it's okay. I was just leaving anyway." He said walking past me and heading to a certain direction. I climbed on and saw Alex sitting in his bunk all alone. He looked really miserable.

"How've you guys been?" I asked snapping Alex out of his daze.

"Not so good," he simply said with a sigh. "You should really fix him,"

"And how am I gonna do that?" I chuckled but Alex's expression wasn't lightening up at all.

"I don't know but you guys just have to work something out because he's not gonna fix himself," Alex stated.

"I'm sure he'll get over it one way or another. All he needs is time," I tried to shine a little light on the situation but Alex was being stubborn about all this.

"You know as well as I do that time won't fix him and plus, we're on tour. We don't have all the time in the world to wait for to get better. Time's racing here," Alex got up and started pacing around.

"Well it's not like I know what to do…" I told him but he rolled his eyes at me.

"Isn't it clear from the way he's acting out? Isn't the whole thing clear? Don't you see what he's trying to tell the whole world?" Alex asked rhetorically but I was too clueless to even figure that out. Maybe I had a big hunch about what he was talking about exactly but I don't know. I might just end up seeming too conceited.

"I'm not sure I get exactly what you mean here," I said just to be safe. I needed a clarification.

"He still loves you, Brit. We can all see it in the way he looks at you and he knows that he's made a mistake but he's ready to make up for it but you're with someone else now and that's killing him inside. He wanted to make things right with you but you moved on before he could even jump for joy once that bitch left. He's broken inside and out and you're the only one who can fix him," Alex explained.

"Why me? Why does this all have to be about me? I wasn't the one who believed that lying son of a bitch. I wasn't the one who fucked up and messed up every good thing that happened and could've happened. Why don't I deserve to be happy too? I mean for once in my life, can't you find someone else to blame for his sadness?" It wasn't fair that that he was blaming about Jack's behaviour. Wasn't I supposed to be the victim here? Wasn't I the one who put up with every bad thing that's ever happened here?

Alex was silent from that point. He was trying to process it all and think about a comeback but he couldn't think about anything to counter me with. That was when Jack came back on the bus with Zack trailing behind him. Apparently they were talking about something before they came on but stopped once they sensed the tension between me and Alex. I was on the verge of crying but I had to hold it in. I looked at Alex who looked at me with about the same amount of tension.

Zack was the first to break our glare-off by clearing his throat. I looked to the side before grabbing a backpack from under my bunk and my camera bag along with it. If this was how things were going to be then I'm not ever coming back. I wasn't the root of all bitterness here and I wasn't the one who caused all the trouble. I was willing to cut everyone some slack but Alex just proved to me that maybe Jack didn't deserve it. From the way Alex was talking, it seemed like Jack was blaming me for everything and that wasn't fair at all.

"What exactly is going on in here?" Zack managed to ask before I took a step towards the bus door.

"Ask him," I gestured to Alex and started moving only to be held back by Zack who placed both his hands on my shoulders and gripped them so I wouldn't be able to move.

"And where do you think you're going?" Zack asked and I bit my lip to stop the tears from falling.

"I'm staying with The Maine," I said and Zack pouted. I smiled half-heartedly at that as I pulled him in for a hug. "I'm sorry," I whispered and he nodded his head as a sign that he understood what I meant to say.

Zack let go of me and Jack was watching me with sullen eyes. I said nothing to him as I walked past the three of them and got down from the bus. As soon as I was outside, I felt the dire need to break down and cry my eyes out. I didn't know why but it just hurt to know that Jack was blaming for all of this. Or at least that's what Alex said. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be all sentimental about what Alex said seeing that it is Alex we're talking about here but he knows Jack more than I do so I guess that's one reason to actually believe that what I think about Jack is true.

I walked around with my head down the whole time and I avoided having to look anyone in the eye because I wasn't a hard person to figure out at all. One look is all it takes to know what I'm feeling inside sometimes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Garrett asked as soon as I was back on their bus. The rest of the guys were out mingling with other people. I wondered why he stayed on board. I mean it wasn't like him to stay behind.

"Oh, uh it's nothing." I said walking past him and dumping my things on his bunk. Tim said we were getting hotel rooms tonight since we were in California. I didn't really get what he meant about that but maybe we were going to stay here a while longer.

"Come on, just tell me. You know I hate it when you try to hide things from me," he told me.

"I didn't know that," I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Don't change the subject," he said with a charming smile. It made me a tad bit better but most of me was still hitting rock bottom.

I told him about what Alex told me and how I thought Jack was blaming me about the whole situation. Most of the people already knew about the whole Kristy-faking-the-pregnancy thing which wasn't all that surprising because gossip like that spreads like wildfire on tour. Everyone was showing Jack some moral support by bringing him to parties and getting him wasted and shit but from what I heard, he wasn't the same. It was as if the alcohol made him even more depressed and they all think it's my fault now. I was tired of being placed under the limelight and Jack wasn't doing anything about it apparently.

"…that's why I'm so down right now," I said and all this time he actually listened to everything I said which I thought was really sweet of him.

"It's okay, babe, I'm here for you and I'm ready to beat up anyone who hates on you," he said punching his palm to show how tough he was. I smiled at him and kissed him on the lips. Well at least now I know who I'm better off with. I guess it has always been pretty crystal clear form the start. All I really needed was a little sign and this kiss was it for me. At least that's how I felt.


	32. Chapter 32

I woke up to the sound of something sizzling in a pan and the sweet smell of bacon. Something told me that today would be a good day and I wanted believe that it would truly be a day without having to deal with any of my problems because right now, that's really all I need, some time to get everything straightened out so that I can get my life back together again. But it seemed like everyone didn't want me to feel better outside The Maine's bus. It was like the whole world was somehow against me and I just had to deal with it.

After getting some breakfast with the guys, I headed outside with my camera and started to roam around for interesting subjects. The guys had band practice for their show tonight so I was free until after they stopped practicing.

I saw Gabe and Suarez by their merch stand and thought about going over there and saying hi but it looked like they were too busy or something. I wasn't really watching where I was going and suddenly, I bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said in a panicked voice.

"Watch where you're-" she was about to say but then she paused to take a good look at my face. "Hey, I know you," she said but there was this mischievous tone in her voice that seemed to get me a little worried.

"You do?" I asked hoping that she wasn't about to mistake me for someone else.

"Yeah, you're the girl that broke Jack's heart. Everyone's been talking about you these days," she said and my eyes opened up wide. "Your name's Brittany, right?"

"Uh, yea, how do people me? And just to clear up the air, I wasn't the heartbreaker in the relationship," I said feeling even angrier that even their fans hated me. What in the world is up with these people? Don't they have eyes to see?

"Well, once you're associated with band members, people start to now who you are. There's no escaping that." She smirked. "I can't believe you dumped Jack for Garrett," she said condescendingly.

"I didn't dump Jack," I defended myself, "he was with Kristy for crying out loud and they got back together once she jumped in the scene." I said but that didn't surprise her. It was weird how people actually knew about these really personal things.

"Yeah, well we all know that Kristy never stays. I mean that hoe bag always finds herself in trouble. Although, you were supposed to keep Jack happy! No one ever sees him smile anymore because of what you did and now, he's not even his normal jolly self anymore," she said.

"Why the hell are you blaming me about all this?" I asked her. "It's none of your business, you know."

"We're only trying to make him feel better since you tend to make him feel ten times worse," she said and she was starting to get me frustrated. I just wanted to punch her in the face right now but I knew that that would be a really bad addition to my reputation. I didn't want to be the so-called heartbreaker and the fist-fighter.

"You don't know half the things I've been through so you have right to judge me like this," I told her but she just rolled her eyes.

"Well you have no idea what Jack has been through," she said crossing her arms over her chest.

"And you do?" I asked smirking at her and suddenly her confidence seemed to falter a bit.

"You know what, being a bitch won't get you anywhere in life," she said all of a sudden.

"How is that even relevant to anything we're talking about? I'm not the bitch here," I said looking around and watching as some people stopped to look at us.

The girl seemed to be at a loss of words. "Well maybe you're not a bitch but you are a total slut." Okay that just crossed the line. I can't believe I let this go too far.

"She's not a slut and you shouldn't be talking to her about those things because frankly, that's none of your business." I turned to see Jack looking at her in disgust. He didn't avert his eyes to me until the girl went away. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that,"

"Um, thanks I guess," I said. I was about to leave when all of a sudden, he held my wrist loosely and held me in place. His touch made me feel so alive and there was this thing in me that seemed to jolt back into life when he laid his hand on my wrist. I felt goosebumps rise on my skin and I was glad to feel so alive again.

"We need to talk," he said and I nodded.

"Okay, what about?" I asked him as he let go of my wrist. I didn't really want him to let go but I knew that people were looking and Jack probably noticed that too.

"Can we talk somewhere else? You know where there are less people around?" he asked and I nodded.

"Sure," I said and we started walking towards the exit.

The walk to the coffee shop down the street was silent. He kept his hands in his pocket and I couldn't help but steal a glance when we were walking on the sidewalk.

We went inside the coffee shop and immediately sat ourselves down at a booth. He seemed to have a lot on his mind and I know that I was supposed to be really angry at him but I don't know. It seemed like he really didn't do anything wrong and that maybe I was overacting this whole time. But problem is that he really did something. He blamed me for everything and it got people doing the same.

"Look, Alex told me what happened on the bus and I just want you to know that he's sorry about his outburst. He didn't really mean to talk to you in that manner," he said.

"You don't have to apologize for him. If he wants to apologize, he can do it himself," I told him remembering everything that happened.

"But that's not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about," he told me. I watched him intently and searched his eyes for some kind of clue that might make it easier for me to decode his thoughts. "Brit, no matter how hard I try to deny it, everything he said to you was true."

I was pretty surprised to hear him say that. I didn't think he'd actually have the guts to get that out of him.

"So you did blame me for everything that's been happening to you?" I asked him raising an eyebrow.

"I don't blame you," he said defensively. "I've never blamed you for anything. I've always placed the blame on myself." He seemed so sincere in the way he spoke.

"So why did Alex say-"

"I don't know, things just find their ways out of his big mouth – both true and false," he said looking out the window clearly showing a wave of disappointment.

"Oh," that was all I could really say.

He brought his attention to me and looked me in the eyes. I didn't really know what he was doing until he got up and leaned in and closed the space between us. He kissed me and I let him. This was how it was supposed to be, right?


	33. Chapter 33

"I can't believe you just did that," I said pulling away from him and getting up.

"Well, you better believe it because it already happened," he said. I thought he was joking or something but his face didn't show any signs of kidding around. He looked too serious. "Let's face facts here. I can't live without you and you can't live without me. We were meant to be together. We were meant to be with each other. Not as friends but as something more than that,"

"Jack, you can't always get what you want," I told him not appreciating how he was trying to convince me that being with Garrett was the worst thing I could've ever done.

"That's why I'm fighting for it," he told me. "And I don't want you, I need you." He stated.

I would be lying if I told you that that statement hadn't affected me in anyway but it wasn't supposed to. Hearing Jack say that felt so great to the point where I wish that he and I weren't in this situation. It's not like I don't hope that in one way or another, things would be easier for us. I mean I do but being with him is what terrifies me most.

What happens if something else happens? What if I end up more hurt than I could ever be? What if things will never be the same anymore? What happens if after we get back together, more and more drama pops out of nowhere? I don't want to take too many risks but my heart tells me that the risks I would have to take to be with Jack would be worth it.

But if I do end up with Jack, what would happen to Garrett? I can't just break up with him just because I wanted to be with Jack. I mean that would be too selfish of me. He hasn't done anything wrong and he's hands down the sweetest guy in the world and having to break his heart just tears me apart.

I tried to explain all of that to Jack but he wouldn't hear it.

"Who cares? You were mine first," he said cold-heartedly.

"Jack, it's not fair to him," I argued but he just rolled his eyes. "You have to take into consideration all the shit he's been through for me. You have to fucking care about this situation because he was the one who picked me up when you pushed me into a hole I couldn't get out of. He actually cares about me," I said biting my lip wishing I didn't just burst out like that.

I looked around to see the barista staring right at both of us in concern. I was sorta scared about getting us kicked out of here but luckily, Jack got the message and lowered his voice down a notch. "Then make him your friend or something, I'm sure he'd like that."

"I can't believe you actually think that's a good idea," I said getting up but he grabbed my wrist and held it tightly.

"Sorry, I just really need to be with you already," he told me and I sighed as I looked out the window. He slid his hand from my wrist to my hand and entwined my fingers with his. I missed those times where he did that but I couldn't just forget about everything he said just because he wrapped his fingers around mine.

"But you can't and you have to face facts too, Jack," I told him just above a whisper as I watched people pass by. He squeezed my hand to get my attention. I looked at him and he tried to smile but even I knew that that was fake. He couldn't hide anything from me no matter how hard he tried.

"But what happens if I don't want to face them?" he asked me.

"Then I guess we'll never be able to get through this," I told him taking my fingers back. I leaned back on my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn't help but frown at the expression Jack's face held when I did that but it was for our own good.

Just as I was about to get up and walk out of this place, the shop's door opened and Garrett came bustling through. I was surprised that he knew I was here but I couldn't really say anything to him because he seemed a little aggravated.

"What's the deal, Barakat?" he asked irritated as we walked up to Jack and stood right in front of him. Jack was clearly not happy about this so he got up and got right in Garrett's grill.

"The deal, Nickelsen, is that you have my girl and I want her back." He said and Garrett clenched his jaw together tightly.

"Well that won't be happening anytime soon," he told Jack and I swear it was getting too intense.

"Guys, break it up," I told them getting up and getting in between them but they hardly noticed me.

"This isn't over," Jack said moving away first and heading out the door.

"Pussy," Garrett muttered. Jack stopped in the doorway. He obviously heard what Garrett said but he just walked away.

"You didn't have to say that," I told him but as soon as Jack left, Garrett's expression only deepened in anger.

"Don't think you did nothing wrong, I know what happened in here," he told me sitting me down.

"W-what do you mean?" Shit, he probably saw everything from across the street. But that would entail him spying on me, right?

"He kissed you but all you did was kiss back practically," he said looking down at the table.

"Garrett, I didn't mean to-"

"I know, I know," he said not wanting me to explain more. "And I know that you're probably just using me as a rebound and that you're still in love with him but you don't want to be with him because you don't know if he'll end up hurting you or not. Don't worry, you don't have to waste time explaining everything to me because I've been through this more that once already," he said with a sigh.

"Garrett, I'm not using you. The things you said might have been partially true but what I feel for you is real," I told him.

"No, what you feel for me is safe -–not real." He said.

I didn't know what else to say. I mean this was practically the time where he tells me that it's all over and that there never really was an 'us' to begin with but somehow, deep inside me, I never wanted to end thing with Garrett. It was as if Garrett was the only one who really cared about me but then again friends do that too. They care about you and never let you go.

"Garrett, please don't do this. I want to be with you," I say but he just smiles to the side in disbelief.

"Well, I don't think I'm what your heart desires. You're saying that you want to be with me but what you really need is to be with him," he said pertaining to Jack.

I couldn't help but start the waterworks on him. I seriously didn't realize how true those things were until he fed them to me. He smiled pitifully and wrapped me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his body and treasured this moment. This was probably the last time Garrett would ever speak to me again. I mean I wouldn't be surprised if he shut me out of his life completely. I was too much of a burden to be a person you'd want to know if you were in his shoes.

"Don't throw this chance away, okay?" he whispered into my ear. "I'll be here when you need me,"


	34. Chapter 34

After Garrett and I talked, I went back to The Maine's bus to get the rest of my stuff so I could move back into All Time Low's. I knew it would be awkward for both Garrett and I so I spared him the awkwardness and settled into my old bunk in the All Time Low bus.

Zack was the only one inside when I got in. I smiled at him and he smiled back but it grew even wider when he saw my backpack. He ran towards me and pulled me into a hug and told me that he was glad to have me back on the bus.

"I didn't really like having no one to talk to on here when everyone else was outside mingling," he told me and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Since when have you spent time alone on the bus?" I asked him and he just gave me a toothy grin and a small shrug.

"I don't know I guess I just missed you, you know?" he told me and I just nodded even if I thought it was weird that he was sharing his feelings with me. I mean its not like I didn't want him to just keep quiet about them but this was just unusual.

"You wanna head out and go look for something to take pictures of with me?" he asked me snapping me out of my daze. I smiled at him and nodded.

I grabbed my camera and he did the same. I was glad my coming back didn't affect anyone in a bad way. I mean I'm not sure how the rest of the guys are gonna react to it but I just hope it'd be similar to the way Zack is feeling right now.

Zack and I talked as we walked to the park across the street. I started fixing up the aperture and shutter speed that I thought would fit the light outside and started snapping away. Zack was grabbing something to eat from the concession stand and came back with a soda and a burger. I turned my camera to him and snapped a shot of him as he took a bite. Zack narrowed his eyes at me but he didn't really do anything about it.

I sat beside him on the bench as we watched kids pass by us. It was four in the afternoon and the sun was turning orange. It looked so nice in the sky so I decided to snap another photo.

"So, how're you and Garrett?" he asked me and I put my camera down to look at him.

"We, uh, sorta broke up today," I told him and he sat up straighter as concern travelled to all corners of his face.

"You guys – what?" he seemed surprised and shocked at the same time and I just didn't get it. I mean shouldn't he be happy? I mean I can finally relieve Jack of his pain and stuff and they can all become normal again.

With the way I just thought about getting back with Jack made it seem less appealing. I mean it seems like I'm doing it for him and not for me. I love Jack and he's a great guy but getting back together with him didn't really seem like a good idea right now and I don't know but maybe, it'll never feel like a great idea and that maybe I'd regret breaking up with Garrett but it's too soon to know for sure. I have no idea why I'm second guessing myself right now and I hope it's just a phase that'd blow over soon because having to feel this way – having to feel the hole in my chest get bigger and bigger – makes it hard to think straight.

"We broke up," I repeated. It hurt to say those words but maybe it is for the best. Maybe Jack will be able to redeem himself and I'm not giving up my happiness for nothing.

"But how?" he asked me and I sighed and that got his attention. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be asking about this. Sorry," he said quickly.

I smiled at the ground and shook my head before looking up at the sky. "It's okay to be curious, Zack. Everyone has to ask questions sometimes but sadly even I don't know the real answer to that question," I told him and I looked back at him just to see that he wasn't in a light mood anymore.

"Did he do something I should be angry about?" he asked getting all serious and that sorta made me laugh.

"Zack, this one's on me." I said and he cocked his head to the side and threw the burger wrapper to the trash can that was a few feet away from the bench. He sipped some soda from his cup as he waited for me to elaborate. "Jack and I had a talk today at the coffee shop right on the other side of this park. Jack kissed me and apparently, Garrett saw us and came right in. They almost got into a fight but luckily Jack just walked away. Then, Garrett told me about how I was only using him which was only somewhat partially true," I told him as I breathed out. Having to talk about these things made me all emotional and I didn't want to have to start crying out here – in public.

"And that led to the break up?" he asked and I looked at him and nodded.

"He told me that it was obvious that I didn't really want to be with him but that wasn't true. I wanted to be with him but he chose not to believe it. It was as if he persuaded me into thinking that I really needed to be with Jack and that being with him was the worst idea in the world but he just doesn't get it like I do, you know?" I said. I bit my lip as I tried to stop tears from pouring out of my eyes.

"So who do you really wanna be with?" he asked and I just shrugged.

"I don't even know anymore." I simply said and I sighed. Zack placed his arm around me and rubbed my arm up and down comfortingly.

"You'll figure it out," he said rather encouragingly. I gave Zack a small smile as I leaned into him.

"I wonder when that might happen," I said and he smirked.

"Time will come," he said and I just nodded into him.

I was glad that I had Zack with me right now. He was like the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I loved how he cared about me in a brotherly way. It makes me feel so loved. I just wish that nothing will ever tear our relationship apart.

"Wanna get your mind off things for a while?" he asked me all of a sudden and I nodded again. "Then let's start shooting things," he said and I looked at him. "With our cameras, I mean," he said and I laughed.

I didn't know why but he always found away to make me just a tad bit happier. It felt so good to just be around someone and not have to worry about burdening them about your problems because they're sure to understand or something. It was nice to talk to him about things and I'm just happy that someone actually takes the time to listen to me. It definitely takes my mind off things.


	35. Chapter 35

Zack and I had a great day at the park. We stayed there until the sun fell and the moon rose. It was nearing seven and we hadn't had anything to eat yet. I watched him take a picture of the horizon before I came up to him and told him that we should really be getting back now.

"Without a decent dinner? I don't think so," he said and I smiled.

"And where exactly are we getting this decent dinner?" I asked him as he looked around.

"Well, there's a diner right there. Wanna check it out?" he asked and I nodded.

We walked towards the diner which was a block away from the park. It took me a while to realize that it was actually connected to a beach. I smiled at what I saw and went inside the beach before going in the diner. Zack was behind me the whole time. I wasn't sure if this was all spontaneous or planned. I just hope he doesn't get the wrong idea out of all this. We were only friends after all.

"Thanks for today Zack. I had fun," I told him as I let my feet play with the sand beneath me. "It definitely got my mind off things." I said with a smiled as I looked up at him.

"Anytime," he said leaning into me. I thought that this was where he would put his lips on me and where I'd push him away and tell him that I wouldn't want to make things awkward between us but he just pulled me into a hug.

I was surprised that he didn't try to cross the line of friendship we had but I was also relieved. I mean if he did try something, it would only add to my long list of problems that he already knows about. He was being considerate and I thought that that was nice.

Once we separated, we went in the diner and had a decent meal which Zack paid for. I wanted to pitch in but he wouldn't let me. I mean I should probably be somewhat relieved right now since I didn't have to spend any more money but instead I felt kinda guilty for not contributing even a single cent. I mean it wasn't as if we were on a date. He wasn't obliged to pay for me.

"You know, it would've been fine if I paid for my share." I told him as we went out of the diner and made our way back to the parking lot.

"Don't worry about it," he told me looking straight ahead as he spoke.

The rest of the walk back was spent in silence. He made no attempt to reach out for my hand or anything that might have made the walk uncomfortable. I don't even know why I'm complaining or thinking about the whole situation so much. I mean this is supposed to be a good thing so why am I thinking about things that might complicate the kind of relationship we were in? Could it be because of the setting? Is it maybe because we're both alone and that if maybe there were people watching people, they'd immediately think we were on a date or something? I don't get it. Am I looking for something more?

When we reach the bus, I stop a few inches away from the door. The lights inside were on and I heard laughter inside. It was almost as if everything was okay again. I didn't want to go back in there and then ruin everything. I bit my lip as I contemplated on whether or not getting inside the bus was a good idea.

"What are you waiting for?" Zack asked as soon as he noticed me stop.

"I don't know if I should go in there," I told him but he rolled his eyes at me.

"I'll drag you in if I have to," he said grabbing my wrist before I could even retaliate.

"Zack, I'm serious." I say but he doesn't listen.

"I am too," he said.

The door opens and then silence fills the bus. Zack climbs up first and I follow hesitantly but as soon as I look inside, I notice that Jack and Alex are not even on the bus. I sigh in relief silently as I continue walking to the back of the bus.

Rian and the rest of the crew welcome me back with hugs. They told me about how they missed me and stuff like that and I'm just happy to be around these people again. In a span of a few weeks, they've become my family and that's more than I can ever ask for right now.

We all just sat and played a few games of spin the bottle. The amount of fun I was having made me realize that maybe coming back wasn't the worst idea I could ever think of. I was beginning to feel more at home with every minute that passed me by. Maybe the alcohol was the one that made me think I felt right at home right now but I don't know. Maybe this feeling was real and not just some drunk thought I'd forget about in the morning.

It was all just fun and games until we all had a truth round. Each person had to answer a question no matter how embarrassing or farfetched it might be. I was turning slightly anxious as the Matt spun the bottle. It started slowing down and then it stopped. It was pointing right at me.

"Hmm, what shall we ask Brit?" he asked looking at the guys who had weird snickers on their faces. Next thing I knew, they were all huddling up so that they could agree on the best question that they could make me answer.

Once they were all out of their little conference, they all leaned back on their chairs. I raised my eyebrows at Zack but he didn't seem too into what they had planned. It was almost as if he thought it was going to turn out bad. I waited nervously as I turned to Rian who was about ready to ask me something.

"Do you regret making love to Jack?" Rian asked and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. I was definitely not expecting that.

"Um, I don't really know," I said earning boos from Flyzik, Vinny and Evan.

"Come on, we want a juicier answer," Evan said and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Well, I guess I don't really regret it. I mean I did like him and I trusted him and he might've done something that I thought was beyond stupid but I think that maybe I'm ready to forgive him.

They were all aww-ing at what I said and I just shook my head at them as I took another swig of beer and I spun the bottle. But before the bottle could stop turning, the door opened and I heard girls giggling. They climbed up the bus and were followed by both Alex and Jack. Why am I not surprised?

I looked at Zack who wouldn't even look me in the eye.

"You're kidding me, right?" I asked getting up as I kept my eyes on a shocked Jack.

I was wrong. Maybe I wasn't ready to make things right with him just yet.


	36. Chapter 36

Anger rushed inside of me and pushed me to run past everyone and head out the door but I couldn't go all the way out. Jack held me by the wrist and gripped it to the point that it actually hurt. I bit my lip and struggled to get out of his hold but I couldn't.

"You're not planning to actually hurt me more than you already have, are you?" I spat out as I looked out the windshield in front of the bus.

"Just let me explain," he whispered.

The bus grew silent and I looked away and smirked hoping to God that he'd loosen his grip so I can make an escape. But he knew better than to let me go.

He pulled me outside of the bus where it was cold and sorta pinned me to the side of the bus.

"What the hell is your problem?" I asked harshly as he tried to lean into me. His breath smelled like beer. This can not be good.

"If I let you go, will you promise to hear me out?" he whispered in my ear and I just wanted to swing my fist across his face but if I do, this chase or whatever will never be able to end.

"Yeah, whatever," I told him and he loosened his grip.

"Look, I didn't know that-"

"You didn't know that I'd be on the bus so you're sorry." I told him rolling my eyes. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

He seemed hurt by what I said. I didn't want to sound too mean but it couldn't be helped. I was too angry to even think twice about what comes out of my mouth. Jack sighed heavily and was about to turn away but ended up taking one step away from me and then turning back around to face me.

"You see, that's the problem with you," he said.

"Really? I'm the one with the problem?" I asked and his face showed an even angrier expression as if that were humanly possible.

"You don't listen to anything I say!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Oh please-"

"See this is exactly what I mean. You never let me talk, you interrupt me whenever I try to say something, you think you know everything I have to say when in reality you hardly know what I want to say to you." He said putting a hand on his hip and placing his other hand on his forehead to show frustration. "And it frustrates me because I try so hard to fix words up in my brain but you just block them all out without thinking about what I might say because you think everything I say isn't good enough."

"Jack-"

"Just shut up and let me finish, okay?" he told me and I jumped a little. "If this is how things are going to be then fine. I'm not chasing you down anymore. Loving someone entails understanding but you hardly understand me. Hell, you don't even try. I'm tired of going after someone who won't even consider the idea of me. The idea of me being human – that I can make mistakes too."

"That's not fair, Jack." I said looking to the side so as to avoid meeting his aggravated eyes.

"Life isn't fair! Relationships aren't fair! This world isn't fair because if it was, everything would be perfect. Everyone would be perfect. Life wouldn't be as lively as it is now. We live and we learn through mistakes and different experiences we go through but the most important thing is that we go through all of them together no matter what." He said shaking his head.

I wanted to say something but I couldn't. We both knew that he was right and I was taking this the wrong way. I was just too stubborn. I couldn't forgive him because I wanted him to suffer and vengeance never really did anyone any good. I take this moment as an example. What Jack just said was true and I couldn't deny it. But I guess this is where the tables turn. This is probably where he tells me that he'll never speak to me again and I'll stand out here broken hearted.

"So what now?" I asked looking up at him as he softened up just a little.

"I don't know," he said scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, just to clear the air, those girls meant nothing to me. Alex just brought them here for some fun or whatever. He's been asking me to go with him to these bars and stuff and well I'm never really into any of it anymore. By the end of the night, they leave the bus and I hit the sheets without even touching them."

I feel guilty for not actually giving him a chance to explain everything to me. I never thought a guy like him would be able to deny such a thing. But I guess Jack has always been different and I mean that in a good way. I just never really realized it until now I guess.

"I'm gonna get some sleep." And with that, he got back on the bus and left me out in the cold.

I leaned against the side of the bus and looked up at the sky. As I looked up, I wondered about how we came to this. I mean it felt like we just met yesterday and now we're biting each other's heads off. I just don't get how I'm supposed to feel about this. Am I really supposed to just forgive him? Am I really supposed to just give him a second chance after all that we've been through?

I'm too confused to begin answering the questions that are forming inside my head. I just wish everything would get better already. I never wanted things to be like this and I don't see how I deserve any of it. But isn't this somehow what I wished for? I asked for a life that wasn't routine, right? So does this count? Am I living life to the fullest already? Am I defying what's cliché and making my life something unique? Is this how it's supposed to be? Because it doesn't feel right and I don't know if it will ever be.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a while. I just wanted to disappear so that I wouldn't have to endure all this pain and confusion but what fun would that be? How can living in a place filled with nothing and no one to talk to be something good? I'd probably end up paranoid in a place like that. I'd have no one to talk to and nowhere to go.

I was just about to get on the bus when I heard the two girls making their way down the hallway and soon, they were out the door – completely shunning my very existence but then again, who needs to notice me? I'm just an ordinary girl who got what she wished for in a way that wasn't exactly what she expected. But I guess that's life – its unexpected in ways no one can possible imagine.

"Come on, I know you're getting cold." I didn't even see Zack get off the bus and stand in front of me but he was. He was holding out his hand and waiting for me to take it.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked in a gentle tone so as not to confuse him. I didn't want him to think I was taking the anger I had with Jack on him.

"What do you mean?" he found my question slightly amusing. Hence, the charming smile that was playing on his lips.

"I mean shouldn't you be mad at me too?" I asked him and he rolled his eyes as he placed an arm around me.

"Why in the world would I be mad at you?" he asked me and suddenly my mind just went blank.

"I don't know but what I mean is how can you be nice to someone like me when I'm not the kind who considers the idea of some people?" I asked quoting Jack.

"What? Who said that?" he asked raising an eyebrow at me.

"Jack," I simply stated feeling all sore inside. It was as if he took my heart and shot it with multiple bullets all at the same time. I didn't get how his words affected me in the way that they did and I couldn't find an explanation but all I do know is that what he said was true and that maybe, in some weird and twisted way, I may have deserved them.

"You don't have to go all sentimental to anything that boy says. I'm sure it was nothing personal and he was only venting out on you since no one on the bus would listen to anything that boy would say when he's being all soft and emotional," he said.

"How can you say that?" I asked suddenly feeling the need of defending Jack. "Nothing personal? Seriously? Every bit of what he told me was practically the epitome of personal and he meant every single thing he said. I can't just toss everything he talked about aside. I shouldn't take them for granted. Every bit of it was true and I guess you can say that some of what he said sorta defined me in a way,"

"Whoa, you don't need to go all mad at me. I'm not the bad guy here." Okay, I didn't need this right now. He was clearly drunk and way out of proportion. Well, yeah, it was sweet of him to check on me right after Jack went back inside but if this was how he was going to be then I guess not having him here would be so much better.

"Whatever," I said getting on the bus and heading to my old bunk. Everyone else was already asleep and I guess it was about time I'd get some shut eye too. I just hope when I wake up tomorrow, everything will be different.


	37. Chapter 37

I woke up to a bus filled with boys groaning about how much their heads hurt. I wanted to help them but once I opened my eyes this morning, I remembered exactly what transpired the night before and I wasn't sure if I was just supposed to lie in bed until everyone got off the bus or to get off of my ass and face the world because hiding myself is not courageous. Well now that I placed it like that, the second choice sounds way better but that might just be my mind setting expectations for me. I don't want to get my hopes up but I don't see a better way out of this so I decided to get out of my bunk and to get in the bathroom before heading into the kitchen.

Once I finished in the bathroom, I opened the bathroom door and noticed that once I did, the whole bus grew silent. I walked out to see exactly what was going on but once I opened the door, I saw Jack right in front of me. We held the stunned faces but I was the first to snap out of it. I looked away and headed to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Everyone seemed to go back to their conversations as soon as the tension went away. I was only half relieved but I guess it was better than not feeling relieved at all.

I grabbed a bagel from the table and divided it into two. I spread jam on one side and cream cheese on the other. But before I could actually bite into one half of the bagel, Rian and Matt Flyzik brought their chairs right in front of me. I didn't really feel like going through a confrontation or whatever but I guess I had to start hearing people out even if I really didn't want to.

"What happened last night?" Rian was the first to ask.

"Nothing," I told them as I started munching on my bagel. I needed a distraction and I'm glad I had bagels in front of me.

"Do you seriously expect us to believe that?" Flyzik asked. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"I'm serious," I told them, "he's mad at me now."

"How in the world did that happen?" Rian raised an eyebrow.

"Well he said some things that described me completely and left me speechless because I couldn't think of a way to answer him back and well he just left me outside after that," I explained.

They looked surprised and they started talking amongst themselves about what he might've said to me. They completely ignored the fact that I was right in front of them and that got me annoyed slightly.

I looked around to see that Alex and Jack were sitting in the booth. Jack had his face in his hands. I wasn't sure if he was just tired or if he was upset. I wanted to go over there and check on him but I was too scared to do so. Zack filled in the space beside Rian completely blocking my view.

"Hey," he greeted.

I didn't know why I was like super mad at Zack but he didn't seem to remember what happened last night so does that mean we're back to square one?

"Um, hi," I greeted back.

Flyzik and Rian turned to face Zack and excused themselves to join Alex and Jack in the booth. I didn't really understand why they were looking for a quick escape but I guess that was irrelevant right now. I mean I need to stare at the bigger picture which is how I can be in good terms with Jack again.

I know it might seem weird that I'd still care about such a thing but it can't be helped. I mean I know that I should be mad at him for a variety of things but no matter what I think about, I can't find a way to stay mad at him. Sure, it sounds cliché but it's exactly how I feel right now. I might as well be a cliché forever and not care because I'm not with Jack and he's not with me. If I could ask for just one wish right now, I'd probably wish for Jack and I to be together without even thinking about it.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked snapping me out of my train of thought.

"Oh, uh, yeah," I stammered, "why do you ask?"

"Nothing, it's just that you haven't touched your food," he said staring at my plate.

"You can have it if you want," I told Zack and he nodded in thanks as he took the other half of my bagel.

"So what are you going to do today?" he asked me but all I did was shrug.

"I'm not sure yet," I told him and he nodded.

"Well we could always-"

"But I think I'll spend it at Cobra's bus," I told Zack and he seemed to hurt at first but disguised his disappointment with a smile.

I didn't know why I did that but for some reason, I really didn't feel like I wanted to spend the day with him today. I mean there are a variety of people I call my friends out of this bus and after this tour which was about to end in a week, I'm not sure when I'll be able to see them again.

"Okay," he said getting up and heading out of the door. He was probably heading for a run or whatever but I was too preoccupied with other things to care.

When I looked up to see what else was happening on the bus, I realized that all eyes were on me. I was tempted to ask them why they were all looking but I couldn't handle the tension so I grabbed some clothes from my bag and walked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

My breathing was not proportioned but all I wanted to do was get out of the bus before anything else happened. So after shampooing and soaping myself, I dried myself off, brushed my teeth and changed into my clothes. I grabbed the clothes I wore from the night before and went out of the bathroom to place them inside my bag.

I grabbed my camera from under the last bunk and was about to head out when I felt a hand on my shoulder. To my surprise, it belonged to Alex. I thought he was going to ignore me for the rest of his life but I guess I was wrong.

"You don't notice anything, do you?" he asked bluntly and I raised my eyebrows at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked leaning against the bus door.

"He's practically trying to get you to be with him," he said crossing his arms and leaning on the railings.

"It's not like that with him," I explained but all he did was smirk.

"Please, you don't actually believe that, do you?" his sarcasm is getting on my nerves but I had to stretch my patience just a little bit more.

"I do, actually," I told him and he shook his head.

"Whatever but don't say I didn't warn you," he said turning away from me.

"Why are you concerned? I thought you hated me," I asked him making him turn back.

"I don't hate you," he told me in a gentle tone before turning away from me once more.

I just stood there and watched him walk away before heading out of the bus. I didn't really understand anything right now and I wasn't really planning to but I know I had to.

I started walking towards the Cobra merch tent when someone bumped into my side.

"I'm so sor-" I started to say but before I could complete my sentence my mouth completely shut down.

"Hey," Garrett said scratching the back of his head feeling just as embarrassed as me.

"H-hey," I said feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"I sorta wanted to come over here to say goodbye but I didn't really know which way you were heading so I guess that's what caused the bump," he rambled and I smiled, "but yeah, this is our last day here and I just wanted to thank you,"

"What for?" confusion seemed to be something big today.

"Everything," he told me and pulled me into a hug.

Once he let go I asked him to elaborate on what he called 'everything'.

"Well, practically, I just want to thank you for actually considering being with me and spending a few memorable moments with me and for giving me moments to always remember and keep with me, you know? I mean I know our relationship was short but getting to know you and being able to help you are things I'll always treasure because at least in one point in your life and mine, I was able to make you smile," he said and it took me a while to realize that I was actually crying.

He wiped my tears away and hugged me once more whispering that everything would be okay and that Jack and I would be together again. And this time, I believed those words.


	38. Chapter 38

Today was pretty tame. I mean nothing out of the ordinary happened. Well there were some fan girls staring me down but I didn't care anymore. I guess once they started doing it and others followed, I sorta got used to it. It might just be me but their stares mean nothing to me. Sure they might be thinking bad things about me that I don't know about but they don't know the truth. Besides, I know how to handle jerks like them. I've had experience from when I was in high school so it's really no big deal.

Everyone was packing it up and we were all heading home. I actually didn't know that today was the last day for everyone but I guess it was just about time. I think I might need to get away from all this drama and just lock myself up in my room. I never intended for all of this to happen and I know that it wasn't really intentional but when I really look back and see past all the bad things that have happened, I can totally say that this tour was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Now I'm not trying to be sadistic. I'm just trying to optimistic and realistic. I mean even the littlest moments were special. None of which were a waste of time.

I got to see the real nature of some people and I've learned to trust people who are worthy of my time. Now I know that my life on tour hasn't been the greatest and I'll probably never get over some of the things that happened but the best way to continue living is to move on knowing that all the fights, mistakes, bruises and scars that I've made would be things that I'd come to be grateful for in life.

If I really just sit down and think about it, I got what I've always wanted. I got a life – even if it was only for a short while – that held tons of surprises and challenges in store. I got a life that served as a milestone and a chance to become better than who I am now. I made my own memories that I'm sure I would never forget. I met friends who were once people I thought I'd never be able to meet but now, here I am hugging them goodbye and telling them I'd see them soon even though I don't know when the next time might be.

But as I found myself walking back to the bus, I felt a wave of sadness hit me face first where all I wanted to do was creep into Jack's arms and have him hold me until the wave sails away but that won't really happen now, will it?

"So what are you gonna do when you get back home?" Rian asked me as soon as I got on the bus.

"I don't really know for sure but college would probably be an option," I told him as I sat right next to him on the couch.

"Does that mean we'll be seeing less of you?" he asked.

"I don't really know anymore," I told him and watched as Zack made his way over beside me from the kitchen.

"What a tour, wouldn't you say?" he said and I just smirked.

"I don't like the ending though," I said.

Rian told us that he'd go use the bathroom and then maybe go get something to eat. I nodded and lean on Zack's shoulder since he pulled me a little closer to him.

"There'll always be more tours, you know," he played with my hair as he spoke.

"But I don't think I'd be willing to tag along anymore," I said, "Not after everything that happened in this one,"

"Oh come on, look at touring as something great and something worthwhile. I mean not everyone gets the chance to tour around the country with their favorite bands so you should just be thankful that you're one of the lucky ones," he smiled.

I just shrugged and remained frozen on his chest as the bus door closed. The engine started and the bus was about to move but Rian told the bus driver to wait a while since Flyzik was out still keeping all the merchandise.

"Um, Brit, can we uh, talk for a little while?" my head perked up at the sound of the voice I've been waiting all day to hear. I looked up to see Jack standing behind the couch looking down at me and Zack.

I smiled minimally before following him outside the bus.

"Look, what happened last night was totally out of line and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything," Jack apologized sincerely. "It's just that sometimes, I get so overwhelmed with everything around me that at times I can't really see where everything is headed and it misleads me and guides me in the wrong direction," he rambled.

"Jack you're not supposed to be apologizing to me," I told him, "You've done that too much already. I think it's about time that I apologize to you for being too impatient with you," I was about to continue but he started to shake his head as if what I was telling him was completely irrelevant and wrong.

"If anyone is at fault here, it really is me," he told me taking one of my hands in his. "I was stupid and I was blinded by the lies and everything people threw in my way and it all led to losing you and I just don't want that happening again,"

"So what are you saying?" I asked sorta confused.

"All I'm saying is that I think we need to see if this will really work out or not because I might not be the right one for you. Maybe there really is someone out there who loves you more than I do and I think it's about time that I let you go and let you be," he said in all seriousness. This wasn't really happening, was it?

"Jack, there is no one else who could-"

"You don't know that yet and you never will if you don't try to browse your options. Now I know this will affect me in ways I won't be able to understand but if this will make you happy, then I think it would be best if I gave it to you first hand before our relationship gets blown even more way out of proportion. I love you, Brittany but I don't think the feeling is mutual and I don't want to force you to be with me if you don't feel the same way,"

"Jack what the hell are you talking about? I'm in love with you, Jack and there's no denying that," I told him as fresh tears poured out of my eyes and blurred my vision. He seemed like he wanted to cry to but he held it in.

"We'll be next door neighbors anyway so you won't have to worry about losing me," he talked as if he was leaving for good. Weren't we riding the same bus going home?

"Why are you talking like this?" I asked clearly confused.

"Well, I'm going to be AWOL for a couple of weeks and I just wanted to unleash you from my chain since I'll probably be gone for maybe more than a couple of weeks," he said in a quirky manner.

"Jack, you don't have to leave," I told him gripping his hand tighter. "We can get through this if we work hard enough,"

"But that's all we ever do, Brit," he said placing a hand on my cheek. "If we really loved each other, we wouldn't be finding ways to fix our relationship all the time, we'd actually be making more memories instead of fighting,"

"I don't want you to leave, Jack," I was really crying now but all he did was cup my face in his hands as he kissed me. Then he wrapped me in his arms and whispered two words that I would surely come to dread in the next few days.

"Goodbye Brittany," he said as he left.


End file.
